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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.
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We provide a number of resources and materials to educate both our participants and the general public on effective leadership principles.
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Blog
What if You Sent off a Couple R & D Pioneers?
By: Jock Ficken
Most churches are trying to preserve what they have. Trying to avoid losing ground too quickly. Even though they know that continuing to do what they’ve been doing is not going to get them to where they need to go! They keep trying to marshal the energies to maintain. (I did this in our multi-campus … Continue reading
Quick + Crowd = Greatest Impact?
By: Jock Ficken
What’s the quickest way to the greatest impact? For the sake of the Mission of God? Maybe “quickest” and “greatest” are not compatible when it comes to impact. Leaders often equate “quickest” plus “crowd” with “greatest impact.” Particularly if “crowd” was modified with larger or bigger! There’s a growing uneasiness among leaders with this equation: … Continue reading
The 5 Courage Killers
By: Jock Ficken
Here are 5 courage killers that any leader, woman or man, needs to know and confront. They’re embedded in who we are. (And they’re adapted from Heifetz, Grashow and Linsky’s book The Practice of Adaptive Leadership.) 1. LOYALTIES TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T BELIEVE YOU’RE DOING THE RIGHT THING It’s an unstated social contract that a good … Continue reading
This We Must Do! 3 Simple Questions to Answer
By: Jock Ficken
Most congregational leaders and leadership groups lack FOCUS. The urgent constantly distracts from the important. Clear, singular focus: “This we must do!” See the note to the right about the church in one region of Tanzania has focused on seeing the witchdoctors converted to Jesus. “This we must do!” So, here’s a simple tool: Do … Continue reading
Part-Time Pastor Pete and the Hand of God
By: Jock Ficken
Let me tell you about an incredible, self-effacing man of God nearing retirement. I’ll call him part-time Pastor Pete. He and his church will remain anonymous. Part-time pastor Pete joined PLI’s Discipleship to Missional Community and introduced himself: “I’m not quite sure why I’m here. I guess I thought I owed it to myself and … Continue reading
Some Faces of our 1000 Young Leaders!
By: Jock Ficken
Earlier this month Phil and Kyrie Klopke, PLI’s 1000YL Directors, and the PLI team welcomed 35 young women and men to Nashville for the first annual gathering of 1000YL. It was the first time most in this two-year online training met in person. Ph.D., student, HVAC apprentices, engineers, truck driver, businessmen and women, stay-at-home parents, … Continue reading
Dennis…You’ll be Blessed by His Story!
By: Jock Ficken
“It was absolutely the work of the Holy Spirit that I came to faith!” Let me introduce you to Dennis, a deacon at our host church in Denver last week. He shared some of his story at a pastors’ lunch at PLI last week. Allow me to try to briefly share it here “First, I’d … Continue reading
Don’t Face Goliath in Saul’s Armor
By: Jock Ficken
Too many leaders are like David trying to face Goliath in King Saul’s armor. Nearly 20 years ago Peter Drucker claimed that “successful careers are not planned. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they know their strengths, their method of work, and their values” (Harvard Business Review, March-April 1999, “Managing Oneself”). Drucker … Continue reading
Identity! Capturing Freedom to Lead and Live
By: Jock Ficken
Every person I know risks fastening their identity to the wrong thing. That’s alarming given the fact that Identity might be the most fundamental of leadership building blocks. The Flourishing in Ministry study funded by the Lilly Foundation interviewed thousands of pastors. Their results showed that placing your identity on the wrong thing is one … Continue reading
What’s the Expiration Date?
By: Jock Ficken
Ever reach to the back of the refrigerator and pull out the pickles or the yogurt? Past the expiration date? Too late. Done! Throw it away? Now…what do you think might be the expiration date on your congregation? If nothing changes? What about your denomination? Or your network of churches? Write down an expiration date … Continue reading
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