Living as a Fully Healthy Team

by: Dan Reiland

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Is your staff team a healthy team?

How do you know?

It’s easier to know when a team is not healthy, especially if you look at the extremes.

The obvious symptoms are things like:

• Gossip
• Negativity
• Silos
• Complaining
• Conflict
• Unproductive

The outcome is that the team and organization do not function as they should.

But it’s not always that obvious because most teams are not in the red zone of extremes. There may be some isolated problems but not pervasive conditions.

Many teams are in fact healthy, but experiencing a temporary setback.

A good comparison is the human body. A healthy body will function as it should. All organs and systems are working together as designed.

However, a healthy team doesn’t mean a perfect team.

Your body can have a bad cold, flu, or bacterial infection and still be perfectly healthy. You can have a cut or a pulled muscle and still be in good health. The condition temporarily affects how you function, but you are still healthy.

Your healthy body goes to work to restore the condition.

If you ignore the health condition, it can get worse. If multiple issues arise, what was a simple cold or flu can become a complicated health risk, and your body may function poorly.

Your staff team is very similar. A healthy staff can handle difficulties, recognize problems and solve them. It has built-in systems to restore the condition back to health.

It’s possible to get overloaded if too many things happen all in the same season, but you can still regain maximum health, (functionality), it just takes longer.

Symptoms of health look like this:

• Trust
• Honesty
• Alignment
• Joy
• Commitment
• Results

What is the state of your team’s health? Excellent? Good? Average? Poor?

Whatever the condition, this process will help you gain full health as a team.

5 Steps to Restore Health:

1) Don’t ignore the current condition.

If you have high blood pressure, it’s not smart to ignore it. Right? The same is true for your staff.

Get honest about whatever condition might be present in your staff team. From performance to attitude, always deal with reality. If a ministry isn’t working, expectations are unclear, trust is low, etc., get it on the table.

Don’t gossip in the hallways. Do what you can personally, and if you can’t solve it alone, get it to the table that can make a difference.

2) Play hurt.

It’s nearly impossible to run consistently for more than thirty years and not have some minor injuries, but I just keep going.

More than twenty years ago, I was inspired by a friend in San Diego who had severe shin splints but kept running anyway. Jan would ice them down and keep going. It was painful, but she pressed on. I asked her why and she said, “Until I simply can’t run, quitting is not an option.” I’ve never quit since.

Sometimes your team is hurting. Keep leading. It’s not a good practice to shut things down and focus so entirely inward that you can’t keep building. You build new leadership muscle when you press through.

Make another phone call, invite another guest, pray again tomorrow, but keep going.

3) Shift leadership energy and stick together.

A friend of mine asked for advice about a situation on his staff that really rattled the whole team.

One of their staff fell into significant ethical and moral misconduct. The repercussions shook up the team and part of the congregation.

It caused doubt, mistrust, some people took sides, and a few left the church. The staff was definitely off their game and results began to wane.

I’ve been around too many churches that shoot their wounded, and leave others to pick up the pieces themselves. That never helps.

Healthy teams stick together. They do make the necessary tough decisions, but with as much grace as possible. Other leaders on the team will need to shift some of their time to step in and help with the ministry that is now suffering.

In this story the staff member had to be released from the team, in other situations, restoration is possible.

In all cases, talk openly with the staff. Treat them like adults; they know what’s going on. Talk about it and process it appropriately. Stick together.

4) Establish benchmarks.

What does health look like for you on your team? Make that clear and talk about it openly.

You might include some of the things I mentioned like trust, honesty, alignment, joy, and commitment.

It’s important to be clear on vision, direction, expectations, and results.

What does full functionality look like and what outcomes do you desire? Think that through, write it down, and make it clear.

At 12Stone, we use a process we call MAPs. (Ministry Action Plans.) They contain measurable goals and elements of leadership development. The MAPs lead to an annual coaching conversation where open and honest conversations take place. This is a huge contribution to the health of a team.

5) Get some help.

There will be some things you and your staff can’t handle without some outside help.

I had some trouble with my left foot that required minor surgery not too long ago. It was not going to eventually heal merely with the use of homeopathic remedies and by continuing to “run through the pain.” I needed some help. I needed a good doctor!

You may need an outside consultant or leadership coach to come in with “fresh eyes,” who can help you gain a better perspective. Perhaps a pastor from a larger church can help.

The point is, sometimes the continued health of your staff needs a specialist who can help you focus on the issue and restoration to full health.

I have flown hundreds of miles just to get a couple of hours with a leader who could help me work through a problem that was bigger than my experience. That advice was transformative.

When you or your team needs some assistance, do what it takes to get the best help you can.

> Read more from Dan.

Tags: Dan Reiland, Healthy Staff, Healthy Staff Team, Team Health

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The Other Reasons People are Not Attending Your Church

by: Dan Reiland

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There’s a big difference between missing a Sunday and disconnecting from your church.

Vacations, travel for work, and kids have travel ball. That’s part of life. But when part of life, turns into a different life, it may be time to re-think your new trend and the possible results.

A long-time friend and volunteer leader in his church had not attended in months. I asked him if something had upset him.

He said, “No, I love my church. We just got busy, started missing here and there, and then, well you know, it was just easier not to go. Oh, and we watch online sometimes.”

We talked for a long time. It was a great conversation.

He concluded by saying, “You know, I really don’t have a good reason for no longer attending church, I just got lazy. My family (they have three kids), and I will start again next week.” And they did.

As human beings, we follow habits and patterns.

When it comes to church, drift leads to distance and distance leads to disconnection.

The point of weekly worship is not attendance; it’s participation in the body of Christ.

Christianity was never designed to be an independent endeavor. God created us to be in relationship with Him and each other. He made us on purpose with a purpose, and we live that out best together.

If you’re not worshipping at your church much these days, I hope this post encourages you to return. There is something special about worship with the body of Christ.

People return to church for a variety of reasons, including a direct prompt from God.

Sometimes they return because of their kids. That’s great! Sometimes it’s because of personal tragedy, that’s always heartbreaking, but I’m still glad they return. It might be a wedding or a funeral. Your church is happy to see you again, but I truly believe your life is more enriched when you regularly participate as part of the body of Christ. If any of the following excuses ring true for you, perhaps this is a good time to return to church.

5 practical responses to the most common reasons for drift:

1) “The church doesn’t meet my needs.”

It’s possible that a church may not meet all your needs; in fact, it’s likely.

The question of expectations is usually at the core of this issue. What should a church, your church, be expected to do, offer, or provide?

What is the role of the church, according to the Bible?

This post would be far too long if I wrote a detailed answer to that question, but I can summarize the primary purpose of the church in two words: “make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

That means the church’s primary function is to help people mature in their faith, to grow spiritually. (And that includes first reaching those who are far from Jesus.)

After that, all “programs” are an option. Since no one church can do everything, it’s a choice the leaders must make.

The most common example of a church not meeting someone’s needs is a complaint that the sermon lacks in some way. It doesn’t “feed” them.

I’m the first to agree that the Sunday message should be well prepared, based on scripture and bathed in prayer. But as a person grows in their spiritual maturity, they become able to dig out biblical truth and wisdom from the Bible on their own. The Sunday sermon becomes a gold mine for anyone to find a nugget of applicable truth and wisdom.

Ultimately, the church is a place where you help meet the needs of others.

2) “I attend online.”

Online church is awesome. Technology helps advance the purpose of the church in significant ways. You might not be feeling well, traveling for work or on vacation. There are many times when online church is a great resource, and some people physically can’t attend.

One advantage I love about online church is sharing a sermon with a friend who is not a Christian.

However, let me offer an analogy. Let’s say a mom and dad’s kids are grown and live in another state. So, they make a regular weekly Skype call to catch up. That’s great. But my guess is that the family would rather be together in person. That experience is different. The connection is more personal, and they feel it. The result is memorable.

Let me push the point just a little with this example. No one wants a visit in the hospital, from someone online, you appreciate the visit in person.

There is something about being together in person that the human spirit hungers for at a soul level. Online is great when needed, but was never designed as a substitute for the body of Christ and meeting the needs of others.

3) “My pastor made a decision I didn’t like.”

I’m a pastor, and I make decisions I don’t like. Yes, I’m smiling, but sometimes leaders have to make decisions that are not popular. Further, sometimes, we make mistakes; all leaders do. That’s not intended to justify poor leadership; it’s merely a reality.

Here’s a good question for you to ask. Was the decision sinful or subjective? My hunch is that the decision that bugged you was subjective, and not your preference.

Perhaps a better approach is to consider the big picture – with the following questions.

• Does your church teach the Bible?
• Is it loving and friendly to people?
• Are people saying yes to the invitation for eternal life from Jesus?
• Are people’s lives being changed?
• Does it make a difference in the community?

I’m sure you could ask more questions, but candidly, if all that is happening, it’s probably a great church, and the pastor a great pastor!

4) “I don’t need church to be a Christian.”

It’s true. You don’t need to go to church to be a Christian. But as I mentioned, Christianity was never designed to be a solo deal. From the garden of Eden to the covenant with Abraham, to your walk with Jesus, it’s all about relationship.

My experience is that the more independent and isolated a person is in their faith journey, the higher the likelihood they will stall out spiritually. As I stated in another post, “You tend to drift spiritually when you are not connected relationally.” You can read that post here.

As I read scripture, the role of the pastor is not to “do” the work of ministry, but to train and equip the congregation to do the ministry God has designed for them to do. (Ephesians 4:11-16) I’ve written a post on that subject, and you can read it here.

God has a purpose for you that is part of His church. Don’t miss out.

So, let me say it again, a little differently.

You don’t need a church to be a Christian, but maybe the church needs you.

5) “The church is all about money.”

The church does need money to operate, and that won’t change. However, I can tell you that no church I know of charges you to attend. It’s free. That’s a great deal!

You can experience, enjoy, and benefit from all your church offers for no charge at all — not many places like that.

The pastor may talk about money, but it’s an invitation to give, not a mandate. You don’t have to, and you really don’t.

Your pastor is just talking about what the Bible says. If the church has a strong vision, I’m certain they will seek financial resources to fulfill that vision, but that vision is all about reaching more people.

My strong hunch is that your church really isn’t all about money.

Here’s a helpful suggestion for you. Read what the Bible says about giving, and ask God what He wants you to do, and do that.

Make it about you and God. No one else. Tell God what you think about giving to the church, He will listen. Then listen to what He says to you.

> Read more from Dan.

Tags: Dan Reiland, Giving in church, Low church attendance, declining church attendance

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5 Reasons Shortcuts Take Longer and Cost More

by: Dan Reiland

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With more than three decades in ministry now, I’m convinced there are no shortcuts in ministry that will help you in the long run.

Perhaps the temptation to cut corners comes from our time pressures, cool technology hacks, and our drive to accomplish more. Fair enough.

I’ve even heard some leaders slide “cutting corners” into the category of working smarter not harder. Don’t believe it. We need to work smart and hard.

You might be tempted to cut corners just because you can. You are faster, smarter and more experienced than most others in the room — big mistake.

I was coaching a young student pastor who was a naturally gifted communicator, but he never prepared. He was that good. He taught from a few thoughts scratched on a 3×5 card. He winged-it every week, and in time it began to show. His wit and charisma would only carry his ministry so far, and in time it started to suffer. It was time to dig in, or his ministry would get stuck. (When the leader is stuck the ministry gets stuck.)

My challenge to him was about stewardship. God gave him talent, gifts, and responsibility, but he was stewarding none of them very well.  The issue wasn’t limited to just one talk or even to several years of student ministry. Shortcuts impact a whole life.

A friend of mine once said about the employees in his company, “There are two groups on our staff. In one group there are people that when faced with a technical problem they don’t know the answer to, they’ll stay up all night reading complex and detailed manuals until they figure it out. In the other group, they just come and ask for an answer. You can guess which group rises.“

The deeper you dig, learn, change and grow over many years, the greater the results.

Let’s take something more basic, but still very important. If you exercise once a week for 20 minutes is that good? Yes! 52 workouts a year is good. If you exercise 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes, is that better? You know the answer.

Now consider the benefit of exercising 3-4 times a week for a lifetime. Shortcuts never help you.

My friend and mentor John Maxwell has spent a lifetime in personal development, intentional study, working hard, and paying the price. Today the results are extraordinary. His greatest joy is helping others succeed and generously shares his wisdom with leaders who want to grow and make a difference.

The promise of compounding return is true. The more you invest, the greater the cumulative effect.

Sometimes a few more minutes in a conversation, or taking some time to figure something out yourself rather than Google it, or praying till you get an answer on a big decision will make a much bigger difference than you imagine in the moment.

When you refuse to take shortcuts, the reservoir of what you will have to offer others becomes deep and rich. It’s like a deep well of wisdom.

Sometimes more than a few extra minutes are required. There are things you’re working on that need many more hours. You can’t escape that if you want results, you’ll be proud of.

What’s the secret? It’s about paying the price, but it’s so worth it. It’s the key to living without regret.

A practical help is to be laser focused. Do only the things you are required to do, and responsible for, then invest your time in what you do best. Figure out your lane and stay there for a long time.

My list is perhaps intuitive, but the brief content includes helpful practices and ideas.

5 paths where shortcuts don’t work, and practical insights that do work:

1) There are no shortcuts to meaningful relationships.

There is no substitute for time with relationships, but there is a path to increased depth and significance. When it comes to relationships, it’s not just about minutes; it’s about meaning.

Being present and engaged in the moment is a game changer. Connecting at a heart level in honest and meaningful conversation is essential. That mixed with joy, laughter and experiences together will deliver what your heart longs for.

2) There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth that transforms your relationship with God.

No preaching needed here, and no judgment either. Grace abounds. Again, don’t think in minutes, think lifestyle. Consider your lifetime and how you would approach things like prayer, scripture study and worship to be as close to God as you desire.

3) There are no shortcuts to investing in people with life-changing results.

When it comes to investing in people, love everyone, equip many, and deeply develop a few. Choose wisely.

You cannot microwave the development of people, especially leaders. It requires intentionality and the long view.

The good news is that leadership development is not like a weekly program. It’s much more organic in approach. My mentors coach me a couple of times a year each. I spend the rest of the time practicing their wisdom.

I understand that developing leaders in your church requires some system and structure; however, I urge you to keep it simple.

4) There are no shortcuts to a career that makes a difference.

Let’s look at one example of dozens we could pick from.

Most of us in leadership give talks regularly. Perhaps you deliver a Sunday message nearly every week, I teach some form of a leadership lesson most weeks. We get busy, juggle many demands and get tempted to cut corners. Candidly, it’s better to say no to the opportunity or invite someone else to teach that week than to take a short cut and deliver poorly.

The important discipline on the weeks you don’t teach is to invest deeply somewhere else. Don’t use it to “catch-up” on little things that don’t matter. Make that time count. One of the best ways to invest that time is to work on your craft of communication that week, even if for just a couple of hours. Over a lifetime, the reward is huge.

5) There are no shortcuts to character that people respect.

Your integrity is a lifetime work. You can damage your character in one careless decision, but it takes a lifetime to build so that others respect it.

Traits within your character that enhance your influence such as generosity, humility, and courage are the result of intentional deep development over the years. None come by accident. The good news is that they are not difficult if you set your mind to it.

So how does all this work? Do less. Go deeper, not wider. Going deep will lead to wide.

It’s not easy, I’m still working on it and will never get it all right, but I’ve done it long enough to know it works.

> Read more from Dan.

Tags: Dan Reiland, Leadership Shortcuts, Shortcuts

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Great Teams Have These 5 Characteristics

by: Dan Reiland

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Who’s your favorite team in the NFL? How’d they do last season?

Are you proud or was it painful?

I know… we all want to win. Of course, we do. Who wakes up and thinks, I hope we lose?

Your church team is no different. It’s God’s church and His purpose, so positive results are important. As long as it’s all about Jesus and not so much about us, let’s press the pedal to the metal.

I acknowledge that we might sometimes measure long-term success differently than God does. For example, we can all agree that the Great Commission calls us to reach more people and help them mature in their faith. But I don’t think that we get to determine how large our churches become. I think that’s up to the sovereignty of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

As long as we acknowledge that, we can invest ourselves deeply into the mission of successful church leadership. And your church team, your staff, make all the difference.

• Your vision determines the direction you go.
• Your structure and strategy determine the path you take.
• Your staff determine if you get there.

Your staff (your team) may be paid staff or volunteer. And the fullest scope of your team includes all your volunteers.

(This post will lean toward your paid staff team, but again, ultimately includes many more people.)

For your team to get along and perform well, the overall environment needs to be healthy. As a rule, toxic teams do not win, and if they do, they don’t win for long.

Five indicators of a healthy team:

1. Trust and morale is high.
2. Insecurity and politics are low.
3. Honesty and ownership about flaws and problems is open and evident.
4. Commitment to the vision and each other is unwavering.
5. Accountability is high, and a passion to succeed is strong.

5 Core Components of Great Church Teams:

1) Trust is at the core of all great teams.

When someone says “I trust you,” what are they saying? What does trust mean?

There are several possibilities such as:

• I trust your character.
• I trust your intentions.
• I trust that you have my best interests at heart.
• I trust that you have the ability to help me grow.
• I trust that you won’t betray me (hurt me) (turn on me) (abandon me).

Trust is a powerful word and concept.

Trust is a powerful word and concept.

Kevin Myers is the founding, and senior pastor at 12Stone Church and I can tell you that I trust him without question, and he trusts me. The same is true among are full senior leadership team. Trust always starts there.

Trust can break down further out in the organization, but trust will never span the full scope of your team if it isn’t solid at the top.

Three core components establish trust:

• First is character, (trustworthiness). You are who you appear to be, and people can count on you.
• Second, is competence. You have the ability to lead and the skill to succeed.
• Third, is caring. You demonstrate that you have their best interest at heart.

When it comes to trust, your team will catch what is modeled.

2) Unity in vision and alignment in strategy is essential.

Narrow your focus.

Your vision will help unite your team. A great vision draws your team together in such a way that makes it possible to achieve together what you could not accomplish alone.

What is your clearly defined purpose or goal? How will you measure your progress?

It’s very easy for your church vision to be so broad and all-encompassing that you accomplish far less than you hoped to and certainly less than your potential.

The point isn’t to see how much you can include under the banner of your mission statement. You are better served to think through and decide what few things will help you reach farther and more effectively than ever before.

Narrow your focus.

What will you all agree on as your central target, that if accomplished, God will be pleased and you can celebrate your intentional efforts?

3) Uniqueness among a team is something to embrace.

I love people and the uniqueness of their personalities. The different temperaments and wiring among the people on your team makes life interesting and work fun. It’s important to create an environment where people are free to be themselves. They will lead better and enjoy their work more when they are their true selves.

There are so many possibilities. Introverts and extroverts. Morning people and night owls. Planned and spontaneous. Detailed and big picture. Grace and Truth. Risk takers and play it safe. Dominant and easy-going. Which ones are you? Do you know your team well?

This doesn’t give anyone the license to have a bad attitude, behave with insecurity or in general – be a jerk. That’s not what freedom means. Freedom to be you at its core includes your responsibility to do your part well and in the best interest of others. That kind of freedom is life-giving.

4) Conflict resolution is an ongoing endeavor.

The best teams experience conflict, and they’re not afraid of it. However, they don’t live in a perpetual state of unresolved conflict. Great teams learn how to resolve conflict quickly, grow from it, make better decisions and greater progress.

A good test to discern if your team is maturing is similar to the test of a maturing marriage relationship.

A husband and wife are a team of two. All couples experience conflict, and the way to test their growth is two-fold.

First, when you have that occasional argument, it’s about something new. That means you are moving forward in life and experiencing new territory. You are thinking and growing.

If you’re arguing about the same things you were arguing about last year, that’s not growth, and it might be immaturity.

Second, you resolve those arguments faster and easier than before. That’s also a sign of growth and maturity.

That guideline also applies to your team and will serve you well. Don’t hesitate to have the difficult conversations, even if they lead to tough decisions. You and your team will be better for it. Unresolved conflict, or worse, conflict that is ignored, is toxic to a healthy and productive team – just like it is in a marriage.

5) Results matter.

Just because church teams ultimately win and lose in a spiritual realm, doesn’t mean that measurable results don’t matter. In fact, they matter more.

It’s all about Kingdom-based stewardship. The combined time, resources and talent of your team are God-given and God-provided. They belong to Him, and we are the servant-leaders that steward what has been entrusted to us. If we bury it or use it poorly, we have missed the opportunity. If, however, we multiply what we have been given, God’s Kingdom is expanded!

How do you measure results on your team?

One of the best ways is to intentionally mine stories of life change. Tell the stories and thank God for them!

> Read more from Dan.

Tags: Dan Reiland, Execution, Great Church Teams, Great Teams, Team Characteristics

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7 Leadership Actions When Things Go Wrong

by: Dan Reiland

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We love to lead when the sun is shining and the wind is at our back, but life and leadership doesn’t always go that way.

In fact, most experienced leaders will say that’s never reality. Things may be going well, you may even have good momentum, but there will always be obstacles to face. That’s part of leadership.

However, there are times when what you’re facing is more than everyday obstacles to overcome and problems to solve. It seems more like a storm at high seas.

There are times when your difficult circumstances create personal doubt and discouragement, but there is a way to lead through the storm.

This may seem like an unusual thing to say, but you can find some solace in knowing you’re not alone. These conditions have been navigated by many before you.

Here are just a few things I’ve heard recently from different church leaders.

• Our church just got sued.
• Our board chairman just became seriously – possibly terminally ill.
• Our offerings have been under budget now for six months in a row.
• Our student ministry just experienced a 13-year-old break his arm at the youth meeting.
• Our worship pastor just announced his resignation without any warning.
• Our new property planned for relocation has an easement that kills the deal.
• Our young church plant just lost the school we were meeting in.
• Our church has lost 20% of its attendance in one year.

Any one of these can drain you of enthusiasm and energy, but two or three at one time and it’s all you can do to hold on.

Leading in tough times when things are going wrong is difficult to say the least.

But it’s in the tough times that you grow more and see the hand of God at work.

7 proven basics to help you lead well when things go wrong:

1) Don’t panic.

Sometimes the situation is a surprise and you find yourself blindsided, and other times you could see it coming. But in either way, panic is not the solution. Granted it is easy to panic.

Panic comes from being overwhelmed and not knowing the way out. Panic is a result feeling trapped with no solutions, like being caught in a building that’s on fire. But if you panic, you perish. That’s true for you as a leader too.

Step back, get quiet, think and pray. Whether you have only a couple hours or a couple days, take some time. Insist on it no matter how big the pressure or how loud the demands.

Collect your thoughts, regain your peace, and write a few sentences that summarize the problem(s) clearly and succinctly. The outcome will be far better.

2) Own what’s yours to own.

The natural instinct is to source the problem, find blame, or place the responsibility somewhere else. The reason that’s natural is because the human system seeks ways to lower pressure.

There are good ways to lower pressure, like in the previous point I mentioned think and pray. And there are poor ways, like try to pass the hot potato to someone else, make excuses or fix blame.

Own what is yours personally to own and take responsibility for the whole situation. This will not only help you grow as a leader but will increase the people’s trust in you and respect for you.

3) Get in front of it.

In many cases you may already feel behind the curve. I understand that. But whatever your circumstance, now is the best time to get out in font and lead.

It starts with what I talked about in the previous point. Own it. Take responsibility. And you need to go public. (Important note: Not necessarily to the whole congregation, but to the appropriate group, and that may be the whole congregation.)

The only thing worse than a leader facing serious troubles is if it seems like either the leader doesn’t know they’re facing big problems or if they are sticking their head in the sand and doing nothing about it.

People are resilient, they can handle more than you think. Don’t keep them in the dark. When trust is established, your people can be surprisingly supportive. Not everyone will be, obviously, but enough. That leads to the next point.

4) Establish who’s with you.

Establishing who’s with you when things aren’t going well is not about allies, politics or forming a coalition. It’s not about finding the people who are on your side. That never solves anything, well, not in the long run. There are no sides, its one church. (Or you may lead one campus or one department within your church.)

I’m referring to your inner support team of trusted advisors and your key leadership base.

Let’s be candid, among your key leaders there may be some who think you made a mistake. Or, you didn’t handle it right. But they love and support you and the church. These leaders are invaluable because they tell you the truth and stick with you.

Talk with them, receive their counsel, pray together and make a plan. That’s the next step.

5) Stick to a simple plan.

The kind of plan you need when things aren’t going well is simple, concise and action-oriented.

Deep thinking is necessary, but don’t over-think. Deep thinking involves deeper layers of new solutions, over-thinking is circling the same thoughts over and over again with no new results.

There is no perfect solution. Land one that is sound and the team can agree on. Then stick to it.

At risk of seeming contradiction, you must remain adaptable. The title of this point is “stick to a simple plan,” and that remains true, but some steps in your plan may need to be adapted to meet new turns in your circumstance.

6) Focus on doing the right things not on being successful.

A successful outcome is the obvious desire, but if you make that the focus of your process you make be tempted to take short-cuts in order to get an early success.

You can’t cut corners and get the result you really want.

It’s like a church that does things to draw a crowd on Sunday morning rather than the things that will build disciples of Jesus. (Please forgive the over-generalization, but I’m confident you know what I mean.) Both ways can fill the room, but one can do it in seven days and the other takes a long time.

There simply is no instant success, especially when things aren’t going well. Focus on the right things and don’t give up. That takes us to the last point.

7) Face reality, but don’t quit.

Remember, leaders face problems and solve them. That’s what we do. That’s reality. Your situation may be more difficult than what “normal” problems present, but this truth still applies.

When John Maxwell and I were at Skyline Church in San Diego we faced open opposition to relocation for ten years. Yes, a full decade! That was the reality, but we (the whole staff and congregation) didn’t quit.

It turned out that our job was to find the land, pay for the land and get it re-zoned. Then Dr. Jim Garlow was the leader to build the building and relocate. That process was also filled with great opposition, but they did it! The Skyline congregation is truly amazing!

That wouldn’t have happened if the leaders or congregation quit.

Keep going, it’s worth it!

> Read more from Dan.

Leading in tough times when things are going wrong is difficult to say the least. There are times when your difficult circumstances create personal doubt and discouragement, but there is a way to lead through the storm.

Tags: Dan Reiland, Leadership, Leading in tough times, When Things Go Wrong

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When the Leader Gets Stuck, the Organization Gets Stuck

by: Dan Reiland

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If you continue to grow as a person and as a leader, what you lead is much more likely to keep pace with you. The opposite is also true. If you stop growing, in time, so will what you lead.

Change, adaptability, and improvement are essential.

Over many years in ministry and thousands of conversations with church leaders, the one thing that seems to separate those who keep moving forward and those who don’t is continued personal growth. (That includes spiritual growth.)

Personal growth never gets old. In fact, it keeps you mentally young, increases your energy and has a dramatic impact on your whole life.

Your ministry success, impact in people’s, lives and leadership legacy is not dependent on how smart you are, luck, the current size of your church, whether you’ve written a book, personality, or who you know.

Next to the power and presence of God in your life, personal growth is the key to deeper and continued impact in other’s lives and a deep and meaningful leadership legacy.  And that’s up to you.

Be careful not to confuse busyness with growth. You can be working hard and running fast, but that doesn’t mean you are learning, changing and growing. It sometimes indicates the opposite.

Don’t connect the size of your church with the rate of your growth. You can be in a smaller church and growing personally like crazy, or just doing the same things repeatedly. The same is true if you lead in a larger church. You can be so busy you barely have time to think. Or you may be growing, changing, and continuing to adapt.

If you think you’re stuck, you don’t have to stay there. Whatever your circumstance, if you feel a little stale, in a rut or just plain stuck, there is a way out. And that path is always connected to personal growth.

3 guidelines for personal growth:

1) Your motivation matters.

Discipline is important, but by itself, it’s not enough. Discipline without fruit will suck the life out of you in time. The question is… what drives you?

Why do you do what you do?

Grow your church? Gain Spiritual Influence? Drive Change? Buy a brand new Lamborghini Veneno? (just kidding)

I don’t know what motivates you, but my hunch is that it has something to do with making a difference in people’s lives on a spiritual level – because of Jesus. Therefore, personal growth for the sake of personal growth can become stale.

That would be like going to college indefinitely, which would eventually become a hollow experience. At some point, a deeper drive that results in action is needed to keep you going.

The practical point here is to align your goals and dreams with your motivation. That means your goal isn’t personal growth; it’s making a more profound impact in the lives of more people. And the value you add to people can be as specific as you desire. Pick your lane.

2) Your method needs to fit your wiring.

For decades I’ve listened to people I respect and admire talk about the value of journaling, and how important it is for their personal growth. But it just doesn’t work for me.

It’s not about writing; I write thousands of words every month. Candidly, I think it’s because I write so much, and I’m tempted to turn my journal into something to be published. Writing does help me figure out what I think, but the model of classic journaling doesn’t fit me.

Discover what works for you.

Some leaders love podcasts. Some love talking with a mentor, and others need the focus of their undivided thoughts. It also changes according to your age and stage, so continue to experiment and try new things.

For me, in this season, I focus my growth avenues in three areas:

Books. I love and appreciate good books that contain deep wisdom and practical truth. I’m a thought junkie. Wisdom inspires me. I can stand up from reading one sentence or one chapter and feel like Rocky Balboa running up the 72 steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (If you’re a young leader, google it.)

Young Leaders. I love hanging out with young leaders, especially young leaders in their twenties. I learn so much. I want to know what they think, but more importantly, how they think. They keep me fresh and on my toes. I want to know what music they listen to, what TV shows they like, and I’m always getting hot tips on where the best tacos are!

I’m intentional in learning how young leaders think about the gospel, church, and leadership, but mostly I just love being with them.

Mentors. I love, and I’m grateful for those who invest in me, whether it’s one time over lunch or those who have believed in me and added value to me for years and years. You don’t need many mentors; it’s more important that you put to practice what they tell you!

Please notice something here.

Each one of my paths for personal growth began with the words, “I love.”  Each one reflects and connects with my wiring. That’s so important if you want to keep growing. Figure out what works for you.

3) Measurement helps you make progress.

How you measure your growth helps you determine if you are making progress. For example, if I measure my growth by how many books I read or the number of conversations I have with young leaders, I’m not going to get an accurate sense of how I’m growing. I won’t really know if I’m making progress.

It’s not the books and conversations; it’s what I do with them. How I apply new realities, wisdom and practical ideas get me closer to true measurement. But growth can’t be measured without a connection to change. If I’m not changing, I’m not growing. The same is true for you.

Ultimately, for me, and I’ll take a risk and say for you too, the end-game-legacy kind of measurement is how many lives you’ve touched for their good. Don’t make the number a competition or treat it like a scoreboard; it’s all about stewardship. God gave you gifts, and you want to make a difference.

If you change just one life, but that life is the next Billy Graham, I’d say you are making significant progress in God’s plan.

What about your kids? How many do you have? 1, 2, 5? Start there.

It’s not a number, but as leaders, we do want to reach people, as far as our gifts and opportunities will allow.  Ask God to clarify your motivation, grant wisdom and open doors of opportunity.

The growth process requires that you keep praying and all the while keep investing in others. Don’t wait till you’ve arrived… I’ll let you in on a little secret. You will never “arrive,” so make a difference now.

> Read more from Dan.

Tags: Dan Reiland, Growing as a leader, Leadership, Leadership Growth

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Three Personality Traits You Need for Clear Communication

by: Dan Reiland

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Many local churches function as if the primary communicator is also the single vision caster. It’s true that the senior pastor is the lead vision caster, but that only paints a part of the picture.

It is also an insufficient way to view how a good vision is shaped, sustained and continually communicated to more and more people.

You’ve heard the phrase, “vision leaks.” It’s true. And, because it’s true, the vision of your church must be said over and over again, including one to one, small group huddles and meetings, and from the main stage.

Before I list the three traits, here’s a perspective of communicating the vision in your church.

There are three roles in leading and communicating the vision:

• Vision Creators
• Vision Castors
• Vision Carriers

The vision creators typically consist of a small group of senior staff leaders (or volunteer leaders in a smaller church) along with the church board, who follow the senior pastor’s lead and prompts from God. Together, they seek clarity, alignment and begin to secure buy-in from the rest of the leaders.

The vision castors are a slightly larger group who stand on a stage of various sizes and communicate the vision in a public way. This would include, for example, groups like Campus Pastors, Student Pastors, Worship Leaders, etc.

The vision carriers are a massive group and often underutilized. In fact, nearly anyone in your church can be a vision carrier – and often are, depending on their level of enthusiasm, buy-in, and participation.

Or, another way to say it is, the further it will be carried.

A vision is carried relationally to far more people than any one vision castor can take it, regardless of how gifted a primary communicator is.

After an inspiring talk from the senior pastor; people will sit in homes, coffee shops and where they work saying something like, “So, what did you think about what Pastor said?”

That’s when the vision carriers kick into gear.

3 Traits of Your Best Vision Carriers:

1) They speak up positively

The people who love your church speak enthusiastically and positively to far more people than the pastor or church staff will ever reach. They answer questions and encourage others to join in their enthusiasm. The help put out fires and help others understand the vision.

2) They contribute generously

Vision attracts the resources needed to advance the mission. The people who have bought in at a heart-level contribute financially, and often at a generous level. They have either personally experienced life-change because of your church, or they see life-change in your church, and their spiritual maturity allows them to make Kingdom investments.

3) They serve joyfully

The opportunities to serve as part of a local church are nearly endless. The number of ministry options within the church should be limited, but the opportunities to carry the love of Christ into the community are endless. Your best vision carriers serve with joy, and their enthusiasm is contagious!

3 Quick tips on strengthening your army of vision carriers:

Make it clear
Make sure your vision is simple to understand, fresh, and captivating. If it can’t be said in a minute, it’s too complicated.

Invest
Always endeavor to want more for your people than from them. Your people are not tools to grow the church; they are the church. Grow your people, and they will reach more people.

Give them tools
From brief training sessions to window clings, give your people tools to help them communicate. Most importantly, give them a reason to tell others.

___

Here’s how to know it’s working:

Vision carriers invite people!

You can measure how well you’re doing by the number of guests and the retention rate of those guests.

> Read more by Dan.

Tags: Dan Reiland, Vision Carriers, Vision casting

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Five Things That Kill Successful Recruiting

by: Dan Reiland

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Jesus knew how to recruit.

When He said to Peter and Andrew; “Come, follow me,” He wanted, even anticipated a yes. (Matthew 4:18-19) Jesus had a purpose, showed passion, and focused on the person.

We all desire a yes, but how you go about it makes all the difference. The process of recruiting can either give something to the person or take something from them. It’s not always that black and white, but here’s what I mean.

When recruiting gives something to the person, you’re inviting them to be part of something bigger than they could achieve on their own. Something that God Himself ordained and has eternal value.

When recruiting takes something from the person, you are asking them to solve a problem you have by helping you get something done at the church.

See how different they are? You’d never describe recruiting like that or as taking something, and it’s never intentional, but it’s a common experience especially when you are under pressure.

Recruiting in a volunteer faith-based organization is not for the faint of heart. Not because it’s difficult, but because it never ends. You have to love what you do! If you get the basics right, recruiting becomes second nature and you gain a momentum that helps you keep going.

Leaders who are great recruiters:

1. Love people
2. Are passionate about the vision
3. Possess a servant’s heart
4. Are positive by nature
5. Are more secure than insecure
6. Cast vision and encourage well
7. Have a strategic mind and a shepherd’s heart

However, no matter how good you may be at recruiting volunteers, there are some things that if they’re true about your church, will make recruiting significantly (and unnecessarily) more difficult.

3 hinderances that make recruiting unnecessarily difficult:

1) Too many ministries

This may seem obvious, but when a church has too many ministries, it’s impossible to keep up with recruiting demands. You risk wearing people out by asking them to serve in several ministries. No one church can do every ministry possible, so be strategic, pray much and select the few ministries your church can do best.

2) Ministries that aren’t effective

This one is relatively easy to fix. If the ministry is not working and lives are not being changed, there’s more effort than results and little passion, and it’s not a core or non-negotiable ministry, then shut it down. I say “relatively” easy because there is usually someone still passionate about it, but it’s necessary to make difficult decisions for your core and priority ministries to thrive.

3) Ministries that don’t capture the heart

Sometimes this is about poorly cast vision, and I’ll cover some thoughts about that under point 5 coming up. But any ministry that does not capture people’s hearts is going to be difficult to lead forward.

5 Recruiting Mistakes To Avoid:

1) Allowing desperation to influence the selection

What’s the better choice? A ministry position left unfilled or a ministry position filled with the wrong person? Seems easy, right? It’s better to leave the position unfilled. Always. But in the moment, when the pressure is on, it’s easy to cave and choose someone not right for that particular ministry.

Desperate is never the right disposition when recruiting a volunteer leader or team member. It’s always much more difficult to undo a hasty decision than to wait for the right person. The “right” person doesn’t mean the perfect person, but someone who can do the job with proper training, who has a passion for it and is not serving in two-three other ministries.

2) Missing the critical 90-day window

The first three months are vital to welcoming a new volunteer and establishing expectations.

Both sides of the relationship are important.

As the leader, make sure you provide great training, communicate regularly and clearly, and encourage often. For the volunteer, don’t be shy to communicate expectations of the ministry, even things like showing up on time and being spiritually prepared. They want to know these things! Volunteers want to serve well, therefore letting them know what’s expected is helpful.

3) Practicing “catch and abandon”

Volunteers who quit nearly always express some version of,

“Once I was recruited and got started, that was the last I heard from anyone unless they wanted something else from me.”

That comment may sound harsh, but keep in mind, if that’s how some volunteers feel, we need to understand why. It doesn’t matter if it may be exaggerated; it’s up to us as the leaders to lead well.

Of course, you’re not “catching” anyone. When you recruit someone, you’re inviting and including them onto your ministry team. They become part of your serving community and very often become new friends. Ongoing communication, encouragement, resourcing, training as needed, and lots of appreciation are part of a great serving team and meaningful relationships.

4) Valuing skill over character

Overall capability is important, and for some ministries, specific skills are necessary to build a great volunteer team for effective ministry. But competence over character never ends well in the long-run. It’s much easier to train for competence than to solve problems from character issues.

Start with discerning of character and spiritual maturity. Here are five good questions to consider that will help you discern.

• Will they follow their leader? This reveals how they view those in authority.
• Will they be a team player? This helps you know their heart to serve.
• Will they learn and improve? This helps you know their desire to grow.
• Will they sacrifice? This gives some insight into their perspective in life.
• Will they be honest and authentic? This helps you know their level of maturity and security.

5) Under-emphasizing the “heart and why” of vision

When you’re recruiting, don’t rush to the tasks of a ministry too quickly. It’s good that you want to be clear and I hope you have it in written form, but always start with vision.

The heart behind your vision is compelling and why you do it is inspiring. Candidly, it’s about 90% of why people volunteer and 98% of why they continue to serve.

Each ministry is specific, but overall, heart says that you care and the why is to see lives changed.

So, for example, if you are recruiting for student ministry, tell why you care about teens and describe how you show it. Also, tell stories about changed lives among the students you serve. The heart behind it and why you do it is where effective recruiting starts.

Tags: Dan Reiland, Team enlistment, volunteer recruiting

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These Seven Things Are Keeping Your Church from Growing

by: Dan Reiland

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The number one topic in the local church over the last 30 plus years addresses the question, “How do I grow my church?” How can we break through to reach more people for Jesus?

The words change, but the issue remains the same. Years ago, we called them growth barriers, and now the question sounds more like “How do I get unstuck? How can we get unstuck to reach more people?

There was about a decade when we switched from church growth to church health, but it always comes back to growth. The reason for that is that healthy things grow!

There is nothing new under the sun, right? But it’s up to us to remain fresh, relevant and innovate our way forward for the sake of the Kingdom.

With that as context, here are some “fresh” thoughts for today.

Seven Big Barriers:

(with insights for growth)

1) Diminished faith

It’s possible for church leaders to stop believing. I’m not referring to faith in Jesus, but the potential for a pastor, staff member or key leader to lose faith that their church will ever work.

It’s all too common that a leader can lose heart and slide into discouragement. This is the enemy’s strategy!  Discouragement is the breeding ground for complacency and maintenance. As a leader, you may remain faithful, but without any fire.

Vision is then lost. Whether the senior pastor, a children’s staff member, or a small group leader, etc., when the leader loses vision, it’s not long before growth slows or stops.

Fight for your faith. Fight to believe again. Who do you know that believes in you? Get some time with them. Borrow their faith in you. Reflect back on when you believed in yourself, and remember that God is with you. It’s His Church, it’s His idea, and what you’re doing matters.

2) Ministry over Strategy

Those of us who lead in the local church are in it to see life change for the people we serve. Therefore, serving people for their spiritual growth is a priority, it’s what we do. But doing ministry for the sake of ministry can be a colossal waste of time if it’s not strategic.

The goal of ministry is not to be busy; it’s to realize a Kingdom productivity that results in changed lives for eternity. For too many years I’ve watched church pastors, staff and volunteer leaders exhaust themselves with little results.

The selection of your ministries must be strategic, not random. Your ministries should be lean and on purpose, not merely at the whim of anyone’s ideas. Alignment as a team is essential.

(And we know strategy without God’s power doesn’t work.)

3) Inward focused

Inward focus is like a subtle bear trap. Of course, there is nothing subtle about a bear trap, except that it’s hidden. It’s not obvious. But when you realize you are caught in one, you then know you’re in big trouble.

No church starts out inward focused. A church turns inward from a good thing gone bad. Community, love, care, discipleship, family, etc., these are all great things and part of the healthy and functioning body of Christ. Until essentially, they become the sole focus of the church.

The result is evangelism drops off, programming becomes all about what the Christians want for themselves, and the worship service begins to cater only to those in the body of Christ.

The scary thing is that all churches drift in that direction. All churches drift inward without the intentional effort to keep an outward focus on those who are far from God. It’s not easy, but it is that simple.

The leaders of the church must agree and align with a ministry that intentionally commits time, resources, effort and energy to reach out.

4) Programs over people

Programs over people can become a reality in a church of any size, but this tends to be a more common barrier in larger and mega-churches. It’s not intentional, in fact, it comes from the natural pressure to bring excellence to programming.

Ministry program excellence is important, but we can’t let it crowd out love and care for individual people.

Program over people shows up in little things that are important things. Such as phone calls not being returned, it becomes difficult to volunteer, and the systems for next steps are complicated.

There is no perfect solution here. It’s impossible for very large churches to give large amounts of time to everyone. The most important thing we can do, however, is to give genuine individualized care to as many as we can. That helps ignite the culture so that this caring attitude has a way of continuing amongst the people.

5) Slipping from relevance

Change is essential. The message of Jesus never changes but our methods, style, and approach must always adapt to the needs of the current culture.

In more extreme cases, when entering an outdated church environment, it’s like walking into a time warp. It causes those who visit to question if the leadership understands how to navigate current culture.

There has never been a greater time or higher need for innovation in the church. From digital opportunities to new approaches in church planting,

Talk with people who don’t attend church and brainstorm new ideas. It might be technology, your worship service, or your kid’s ministry, etc. What needs to be done to remain salt and light in your community?

6) Underdeveloped leaders

Without more and better leaders, your church can’t continue to grow.

If your vision is big and bold, it requires more leaders to help realize that vision. These leaders need to be developed and empowered.

Your leaders need continued training, development and encouragement to keep rising to their potential as well as remain aligned with the vision of the church.

Here are a couple of posts that will help you develop your leaders:

1. Develop Your Leaders
2. Empower Your Leaders

7) Jesus is sidelined in all the busyness

At a theological level, it’s impossible for Jesus to be sidelined in any way.

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

Colossians 1:15-18

And yet, it’s true that a church can become so busy with people, processes, programs, problems, etc. that Jesus is no longer the recognized head of the body and the established supremacy. When this happens, certainly unintentionally, we lose the Holy Spirit’s power that is needed for true spiritual change and subsequent growth.

Jesus must always be lifted up!

> Read more from Dan.

Tags: Church Growth, Dan Reiland, growth barriers

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Five Clear Ways to Lead from a Place of Love

by: Dan Reiland

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The love of God is both incomprehensible and incomparable.

It’s difficult to fully understand the depth of God’s love. There’s no end to it. It’s a love that surpasses knowledge. (Ephesians 3:19)

Paul prays that [we] have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide, and long, and high, and deep is the love of Christ.” (Ephesians 3:18)

A perfect love can’t be measured, or fully understood, but it can be experienced. It can be expressed, and that’s what God asks of us, to lead with this kind of love.

A love that is incomparable – “the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.“ (Ephesians 2:7)

It’s because of His great love for us (Ephesians 2:4) that we do what we do.

I don’t know about you, but that can be an overwhelming thought at times.

I have to rest in His grace to know that He can use me to lead based on a motive of love. My love is so imperfect, yet God’s love says this is exactly what he wants me to do.

There are two things that help me grasp something as grand as this.

1. God reminds me that it’s not about me and my love. It’s about God and His love. And if I genuinely seek to express God’s love, He helps fill in where I fall short. That doesn’t remove my humanity, it elevates God’s love and power.
2. If I remain diligently focused on His purpose, that helps keep my motives pure.

It’s easy for any leader to get caught up in the everyday responsibilities from first time visitors to staffing issues and end up missing the big picture.

The following paragraph is a devotional I wrote in an attempt to capture a succinct biblical summary of God’s purpose for the church and the nature of our calling.

It helps me keep focused on the big picture.

Our salvation (Eph 2:5,8), and the work that we have been divinely prepared for (Eph 2:10), was established in love (Eph 2:4; 3:17), according to His eternal purpose (Eph 3:11). And now, through the church (Eph 3:10), and with his power (Eph 3:20), we are called to know this love, (Eph. 3:19) and lead with this love, to fulfill His purpose.

The church does not exist for itself, but for God’s glory. The purpose (Eph 3:11) is the revelation of God by reconciliation through Christ. My leadership can’t exist for itself, it has to be for God.

So how do we carry the love of God and His purpose into our leadership?

How do we make this practical?

We can start by acknowledging the temptation (not intention) to lead from a platform of power rather than a platform of love.

Love keeps us on purpose and helps throttle power.

It’s easy to veer off purpose and occasionally misuse authority. I’m not suggesting something of malice or intentionality, but things like overwork, pride, pressure, insecurity, jealousy, fear etc., are common every day realities that can temporarily pull us off the purpose that God’s Word has made clear.

A misuse of power or authority is not a reflection of God’s love. It might be faster, but it doesn’t work in the long run.

God’s biblical picture of love helps us stay on track.

The following 5 expressions of God’s love are core to you and I leading the way Jesus models for us.

They help us as we cast vision, create strategy, and drive forward to make progress – but doing it the way He has designed while remaining focused on His purpose.

5 practical expressions of love in leadership:

1) Grace

The body of Christ depends on relationships working in a redemptive manner. When there is conflict, giving the benefit of the doubt and extending forgiveness if needed is foundational to loving leadership. It’s not always easy, but it’s the model Christ set for us.

Disagreements within the church have existed since the early church.

From a theological division to someone is mad about the kind of coffee the church serves, conflict is not new. But it’s still up to us as leaders to do everything we can to resolve conflict in order to maintain strong and healthy relationships without sacrificing the purpose.

That’s the key. It’s not about passivity or a people pleasing posture, that loses ground for the Kingdom, it’s about grace while staying on God’s purpose.

2) Truth

We all know the scripture about speaking the truth in love. I love that passage because it’s so practical.

It’s easy to use the grace we just talked about in order to avoid the tough conversations that are necessary in leadership.

Grace isn’t an invitation to lower standards, it’s an obligation to speak truth.

God’s love is anything but soft and weak. It’s strong, courageous and requires the strength to say what needs to be said.

How we say it makes all the difference. Truth doesn’t require force or anger to back it up, truth can stand on its own. Truth backed up by love is a leader’s greatest ally.

3) Generosity

Generosity is often thought of first in connection to finances. When someone is generous, they give freely of their financial resources. But there is so much more to generosity. In fact, it’s far more a spirit within you, a disposition and a way of life than merely how much money you give.

Generosity is connected to giving your time, expressing kind words of encouragement, and opening doors of opportunity. A generous leader is quick to offer help, wisdom and good ideas, and loves others sincerely.

4) Compassion

As a young leader, compassion was difficult for me. I didn’t want to slow down. There was so much to do. But as I’ve matured, (and still have much to learn), it’s become abundantly clear how close compassion is to God’s heart.

I’ve learned that compassion can’t be expressed on the run. You have to stop to express care. It doesn’t mean if you don’t stop that you don’t care, but it does mean that no one will know you care and experience the love you have for them, if you don’t slow down at the appropriate moments.

That’s a real tension for a busy leader. You can’t stop for every need, but you and I must remain attentive to God so that we can tend to the moments of compassion He needs us to attend to.

5) Sacrifice

Sacrifice is at the core of God’s love. He gave His son for our eternal life. But how can we possibly model that example? The purity and commitment of that love is staggering, which can take us back to that overwhelmed feeling I mentioned in the beginning of this post.

The idea of sacrifice can get weird quick if we are not careful. It’s not about a works-based leadership. It’s not about performance or getting attention because we work so hard.

Sacrifice simply acknowledges that love always gives more than it takes. That’s enough. Personally, that’s a lifetime challenge for me to attain as a leader. But God helps me find the joy in it, the joy in serving others and seeing people live better lives – more closely connected God.

So, how about you?

Which ones are you doing well? When you think about grace, truth, generosity, compassion and sacrifice, where are you strong? What needs improvement?

> Read more from Dan.

Tags: Compassion, Dan Reiland, Generosity, Grace, Leadership with love, Sacrifice, Truth

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