I didn’t grow up in the United Methodist Church (UMC). But when I was in college I fell in love with the UMC and I especially fell in love with what they called Connectionalism. Connectionalism (or Connexionalism) is a funny word. In the UMC we use it to talk about the relationships churches and pastors …
Read more “Six Core Competencies of Pastors 04: Connectionalism”
I spent the 100 days of summer using the Happiness Planner. The planner style I’m using is a 3-month version. I picked it up by chance when I had a gift certificate from Anthropology and thought it looked the mid year pick-me-up I need. It was. The planner starts by asking what makes you happy & …
Read more “100 Days of Summer – A Review of the Happiness Planner”
If I could change one thing about pastors and church folk it would be that they would give each other the best possible interpretation of every action. For example… You forgot to return my email? You were busy, not negligent. You didn’t talk to me at coffee hour? You were dealing with an emergency not …
Read more “Six Core Competencies of Pastors 03: Communication”
I am a high-energy person who thrives on new ideas so the Core Competency of Focus was a challenge for me. But a couple of things happened that got me thinking… Leading house churches gave me a new perspective on what mattered in growing faith. Working in New Ministries showed me many declining churches being …
Read more “The Six Core Competency of Pastors: Focus (Part 02)”
What six core competencies does a pastor need? I would imagine you could ask ONE hundred pastors and laity and get FIVE hundred answers. 🙂 Here are my thoughts. I share them not because I KNOW what the six core competencies are (that would take a lot more work and insight than I have) but …
My husband, Dr. Jeff Luther, is the director of a medical residency program. That means he trains new medical school grads on how to be amazing Family Physicians. He has done this for over 20 years. I like his world. I like hanging out with those who run the larger hospital and hearing how they …
Over the last 3 years I have spent a lot of time in our churches. I have heard stories which have taught me what is working and what isn’t-as new pastors begin. Here are a couple quick thoughts (cause it’s a busy day) on the first day of a new appointment. 1. You were not sent …
Life Hacks – Get A Coach I am almost finished with my course work to get my coaching certification. Coaching in all its forms (life, executive, health, etc.) is a growing field and folks from every background (medicine, mental health, ministry, business) are getting trained in coaching. I became interested in coaching when I moved …
Who Are You Mentoring? As I visit local churches and hear their struggles, one thing I hear consistently is: “we don’t have enough leaders.” Is there a lack of leadership in our local churches? Yes and no. Yes, it is true that as churches get smaller there are fewer leaders. If a church had 100 people …
This week I listed to a short and intriguing podcast on “The Good Life Project.” In this week’s episode, Jonathan Fields shared something I know nothing about: bicycling. For those of you who ride you already know that the lighter the bike the faster you go. People spend lots of time, energy and money-making everything lighter and quicker. …