About
PLI is devoted to empowering leaders for wider influence for the sake of the gospel in their communities and effective leadership in their ministries. Learn more about our vision and process here.
Learn
Life is better connected. Connect with others to experience life-giving community and build authentic relationships. We have several learning communities. Find the best fit for you.
Resources
We provide a number of resources and materials to educate both our participants and the general public on effective leadership principles.
Join
Interested in how PLI can impact your ministry? We'd love to get to know you and learn how we can empower your ministry.
Archive for the ‘Navigate Cultural Change’ Category
Moses For President
By: Jock Ficken
The current political landscape takes me back to a book I read a few years ago: The Culture Code: An Ingenious Way to Understand Why People Around the World Buy and Live as They Do by Clotaire Rapaille. I found it fascinating as the author unlocked and explained the cultural code behind various dynamics within … Continue reading
The Disappointment Gap…Don’t Be a Settler
By: Jock Ficken
The Disappointment Gap…Don’t Be a Settler “Don’t be a Settler” commercials have been funny and frequent of late. Settling: The “other way” of dealing with the Disappointment Gap. Settling: The Lowering of Future Expectations to Match Past Experience. The Disappointment Gap evaporates when we artificially lower Expectations to match our Experience. It’s like the Good … Continue reading
Venturing into the Muddled Middle Ground
By: Jock Ficken
Nestled stubbornly between necessary endings and the prospect of new beginnings is a muddled, clumsy, uncomfortable neutral zone. Theorists name it differently. It’s the middle ground where leaders navigate the closing of a season wrapped in its emotions and memories and unsettling disorientation along with the uncertainties and fears and anxieties of what comes next. If … Continue reading
Can you dare to dream again?
By: Jock Ficken
Can I challenge you? Today I’m not thinking about those who have the wind at their backs… I’m thinking of all the rest of us! I see marvelous examples all over the place. Oftentimes in the most difficult of circumstances and situations, somebody–usually the pastor and another leader or two–dared to dream again. For some … Continue reading
Will freelancing become normal for pastors and other ministry leaders in the church?
By: Jock Ficken
,Last week I referenced a “broken” or “soon to be broken” ministry/business model and that churches will be faced with how to: Aggressively live out the Mission of God to an emerging generation AND Cut the costs of operating congregational ministry. Very few churches do these two well… Very few churches do these two well and secure or maintain … Continue reading
Kale and Campbell’s Soup…3 Questions Leaders Should Ask
By: Jock Ficken
Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow…let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge… (Genesis 41) Joseph had time to prepare Egypt, and God provided a season of abundance…before the famine! Russ Bredholt has been only an occasional … Continue reading
The Wright Brothers Soft Landings… 3 Things I Learned
By: Jock Ficken
The Wright Brothers chose Kitty Hawk, NC, for their flying experiments. It had: Wind Good weather Sand dunes…. for soft landings Soft landings…for when their experiments failed! God seems to be providing unprecedented opportunities for wider Gospel influence for the people of God in the chaos of our current culture, but… …if most churches are … Continue reading
My Mom, the Sears Catalogue, and the Church
By: Jock Ficken
I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26) My 88-year-old mom had selected those words of Jesus for her funeral text sometime after my dad died 30 years ago. … Continue reading
I’d like to receive PLI E-news
PLI enews is a weekly publication containing our leadership and ministry blog as well as free content and important news.