leadership

Appreciation, celebration and thankfulness aren’t optional extras in life and leadership, they are essential! As we’ve wrapped up another great year of reaching our cities and making disciples, I wanted to remind us to pause and be generous in celebration! Celebrating God’s goodness and people’s faithfulness! “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” — Psalm 34:1 “Therefore encourage one another and...

I remember hearing Darlene Zschech say that we as leaders should always be putting ourselves out of a job. In recent months, I’ve discovered what leaning on my team of growing leaders has done for my vision, because as we grow I believe we must allow ourselves to step back to see and dream. In order to do that we will need to pass on responsibilities, and I believe the...

In late 2016, Jessie-Claire and I landed in Boston with our 2 young kids, Jude and Jireh. After landing, we stayed in a town called Plymouth, the same place the Pilgrims landed almost 400 years earlier. A few months later we planted our church on the Southshore of Boston, not far from where the first settlers planted America. What we didn’t know then, but discovered about the New England region...

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) There are many kinds of leaders on the earth today, but the best leaders are the ones that have learned how to lead themselves above leading others. Proverbs 4 sets a guard in place: a guard that we are to put over our own hearts. No leader can do this for another leader....

From the age of 12, for 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, 40 weeks a year, for 7 years, I studied French. I read in French. I wrote in French. I spoke in French. A few years later, while backpacking in Europe, a disheartening reality came to light. Effectively, I knew ZERO French. Sure, I could stammer a few words and phrases. I could order a croissant and...

Presence Conference is such an inspiring experience, and my team and I enjoyed every moment. The main sessions were so impacting from start to finish each day, and the masterclasses were incredibly insightful windows into all things leadership, communication, culture and more. What a valuable learning experience! However, probably the most valuable lesson I learned during the week did not happen at Presence Conference. It happened while simply walking the...

As a pastor, I'm learning that fully empowering leaders while also working to ensure leaders are accountable within that empowerment is incredibly fruitful. Without full empowerment our leaders can feel stifled, unreleased, and lack confidence. But without full accountability a Senior Leader can feel uncertain and at times anxious that the area or task won't be led and outworked well. So for best results, empowerment and accountability need to go...

Nothing thrills a pastor more than seeing real transformation happen in the lives of people. We want to see people grow up and become completely mature - completely like Jesus Christ. We long to see people take the lead in their personal world - marriage, family, career and every way that is important to them - to live their best lives for the glory of God. We yearn to see...

“There is a time and a season for every purpose under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 One of the biggest questions the leader asks is “what season” am I in? The unwise leader tries to reap in a winter season, sow in a summer season or plow during harvest. Discerning leaders can differentiate between their ‘personal’ season and the season of their church/ministry. As the scripture says, knowing the TIME & the...