Recently, I participated in the 75th anniversary of one of our great Kentucky Baptist churches. This church started in 1948 with a small band of believers who had a vision for impacting their neighborhood for Jesus. Those Christ-followers worked, prayed, gave and sacrificed to purchase land, build buildings, hire staff and accept leadership roles —Continue reading “What Could You Do in 10 Years?”
Category Archives: Leadership
How Many Days Do You Have Left?
4,509. That’s how many days I have left if the Lord allows me to live to age 70. Psalm 90:10 says, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” Psalm 90:12 exhortsContinue reading “How Many Days Do You Have Left?”
Leaders Must Do This
There is a plethora of helpful advice in print, podcast and video available for leaders today. A simple internet search on leadership will deliver thousands of pages of resources, webinars, training opportunities, professional certificates, books and more. One topic of interest in leadership study today is that of human flourishing. Churches and ministry organizationsContinue reading “Leaders Must Do This”
Please Accept My Apology
My generation grew up watching the sitcom Happy Days each week. Fonzie was a main character in the show and had a reputation of being a bit of a rebel with a high “cool factor.” In one episode, Fonzie — or the Fonz as he was known — needed to apologize for a wrongContinue reading “Please Accept My Apology”
The Culture Ate Our Strategy
Calvin Wilkins, a much-loved and well-remembered Kentucky Baptist pastor and former KBC Mission Board staff member, once told me of a young pastor who wanted to find a new place to serve. The young man expressed to Calvin that he wanted to pastor a good church, a church like the one Calvin was pastoring. Bro.Continue reading “The Culture Ate Our Strategy”
The Critic Helped Me
Many leaders have been encouraged and emboldened by the words of Theodore Roosevelt in his speech, “The Man in the Arena.” In that speech, Roosevelt said: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.Continue reading “The Critic Helped Me”
Lord, I Don’t Like Him
Years ago, I found myself holding onto hard feelings against a key ministry leader in a church I served. This brother had the gift of criticism. I know he did because he exercised it each week when I finished preaching. My dislike for him had reached a point where I didn’t want to beContinue reading “Lord, I Don’t Like Him”
My Name is “Hard Times”
Years ago, I heard a pastor tell of a man who came to the church office in need of assistance. When the pastor asked his name, he said it was “Hard Times.” With a smile the pastor said, “No really, what is your name?” The man pulled out his I.D. and sure enough it wasContinue reading “My Name is “Hard Times””
You Talk Too Much
Are you guilty of overtalking? A University of Arizona study found that most of us speak around 16,000 words per day. Proverbs 10:19 tells us, “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking.” Overtalking was such a problem for King David that he sought God for help. Israel’s king is recorded in PsalmContinue reading “You Talk Too Much”
Three Ways to Raise Up Church Workers
Ask any church in Kentucky, “What is your greatest leadership challenge?” and the answer will likely be, “We need more workers.” Gospel ministry opportunities abound, but finding the folks to lean into those opportunities can be a great leadership challenge for pastors. How can a church find the workers needed for its life-changing ministry? ConsiderContinue reading “Three Ways to Raise Up Church Workers”
Dr. Todd Gray 