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Posts Tagged ‘Shift Missional Ownership’
The Real Measure of your Leadership
By: Jock Ficken
What if the real measure of your leadership was not all that was accomplished within your span of influence (count: worship attendance, offerings, buildings and programs built, etc.), but the “successes/successors,” the congregational “heroes,” you mentored? Successors who might shine as bright or brighter than you and might become the future leaders/mentors the church will … Continue reading
Where is God Leading you Next?
By: Jock Ficken
I asked a bunch of younger leaders to do the difficult, to challenge some “landing pattern” pastors and spouses and others who have served so well for so long to not squander what might be their largest legacy in helping the Church set sail toward a new season of great mission vibrancy. This “landing pattern” … Continue reading
Are you in a Landing Pattern?
By: Jock Ficken
Here are two realities: Reality 1: The United States is one of the largest mission fields in the world. Reality 2: Large numbers of pastor-leaders (spouse-leaders and lay-leaders too!) will retire in the next 3… or 5… or 7 years. They’re all flying toward a landing pattern transition. (Or they’ve already landed.) The popular view … Continue reading
Grit Your Teeth and Get in the Local Mission
By: Jock Ficken
So many—pastors, churches, women, men—who intentionally enter some slice of their community to represent Jesus and respond to the mission of God start by gritting their teeth and finally giving it a try. They’ve heard about it, talked about it, prayed about it, but never did anything about it. There is a lot of talk, … Continue reading
3 Non-Negotiables for Congregational Change
By: Jock Ficken
Every day, leaders wake up knowing that their congregation must navigate change or distance itself from being a vibrant community with wider influence. Here’s the problem: Inertia wakes up even earlier every day and has already resolved to fend off any feeble attempts at desperately needed change that would challenge the status quo. So, here … Continue reading
Rebuilding Community In and Around Your Congregation
By: Jock Ficken
A Conversation with Debbie Teike Earlier this year I sat down with Debbie Teike, a long time member and mentor within the PLI family. Debbie is the designer/builder of The Art of Invitation, a video-based course/experience in how to build community in and around the church. She is a deeply committed follower of Jesus and … Continue reading
What You Can Do if You Think Your Church is Failing
By: Jock Ficken
80% of U.S. churches… Worship less than 100. Face steady to rapid decline. Possess collective memories of being 2 times or 10 times larger. Leaders and members are taunted with the whisper that they’re failing. Usually today’s realities were set in motion years earlier by… A stubborn refusal or inability to make necessary changes for … Continue reading
Stop Setting Up Leaders to Fail
By: Jock Ficken
The door to a vibrant, future church in 2030 swings on the hinges of relational discipleship! Here are 4 thoughts: I came into leadership in an era of “if you can preach, you can lead!” Most folks today still equate a good talker with a good leader. (Being a good talker is still…good…but not synonymous … 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
Get In The Game
By: Jock Ficken
Get yourself in the mission game if you’re not there already! Don’t wait for all those folks to one day wake up and decide they should ask you about Jesus. You’ll be waiting a long time. (Review our Christendom and Post-Christendom PLI Entry Paths.) It was incredibly difficult when I started down this path. I … Continue reading
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