You've probably heard of a Gratitude Journal.  It was referenced in the repost/retweet of a blog from Lifeway I sent out yesterday.  I'm looking forward to thinking more about the benefits of gratitude this week.  But for this Thanksgiving week post, I want to do a short journal of things I'm grateful for.  In no particular order, starting with the biggies:

Last week I had the opportunity to speak at our weekly men's gathering.  About 150 to 200 of us have been working on spiritual disciplines that last six weeks, my topic was reflection.  Here are a few things from 1 Timothy 4:6-16 that I think are relevant for any leader.

I tell my kids things all of the time. Over and over. And over and over. If there’s one thing I can say is always true about parenting, it’s that I repeat myself constantly.

As I coach and consult with small group point leaders and churches, I'm finding that coaching leaders is (still) a struggle for many. At the same time, I partner with several organizations that deal with coaching business leaders, and I'm applying what I'm learning in that environment to small group and church ministry.

Over the next several posts, I'll share a few of the things I'm learning. Today, I want to discuss the 10-20-70 model of leadership development and how it relates to coaching.

I work in collaboration with with a worldwide organization called Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching. It's founder, Marshall Goldsmith, recently shared a brief (less than a minute and a half) video about this 10-20-70 model and how it relates to business coaching, which you can watch here.

In the 10-20-70 model (often referred to as the 70-20-10 model for learning and development),
 

Every culture and organization has rules. Spoken and unspoken, these rules provide safety, security, and a roadmap through which everybody walks.

I get questions. A lot of questions.  Sometimes they come in by email.  Other times as a comment on a blog post.  I try hard to answer them all. When it’s a question many are asking, I try to answer them here on the blog.  I bet I’ve answered today’s question about a hundred times a year for the last 10 years. No  joke.

Leaders are keepers of culture.  They know that great team cultures require deliberate effort. Teams will work better with one another, they’ll go above and beyond the call of duty, they’ll invest themselves personally, and they’ll own their wins and their losses more honestly when they are a part of a healthy environment.

Taking time to visit other churches in your area or across the country is a great way to grow in your leadership. I love seeing a church in action and I always come away with pages of notes about things I want to do differently or consider for my church. Whether it’s a small church or a “brand-name mega church,” many leaders use these visits as a chance to grow and learn.

I know. I know.  The title of this article sounds offensive. Before you judge me too harshly, please hear me out. First, I’ve been guilty of uttering most of these things at some point in my life. I’m not pointing these phrases out with a crooked finger saying, “You’re bad!” I’m writing from the perspective of one who is growing in these areas myself. Second, let me explain exactly what I mean.

Some of us have a difficult time accepting the reality that God loves us unconditionally. Often, because of traumatic experiences in our childhoods or our more recent pasts, we have a hard time imagining that anyone—God included— could possibly value us. We ask ourselves, Why should God want to be with me? Just look at how messed up I am. Or we may think, I haven’t been able to rely on anyone in my life. At one time or another, they’ve all let me down. Why would God be any different?

A well-planned interview for a new leader at your church is a critical part of the hiring process. Rather than “winging it” or asking the “same old, same old” questions, take time to plan the interview. It’s important to get a clear picture of the candidate in these three areas:

I hear a lot of pastors debate the need for a quality experience at the expense of connecting and growing the vast majority of their congregations and their communities into their group system. I also hear the reverse of this, which is, in order to embrace a large quantity of groups, then quality must somehow be sacrificed. 

We approach ministry as if we have all the time in the world. Somehow we think our people will live forever, and so will the people our people need to reach for Christ. But let’s be honest, we don’t have the luxury of time. 

The apostle Paul didn’t have the luxury of time either. Reviewing his journeys in the book of Acts, Paul never spent more than 6-18 months in any one location, yet in his quest to spread the gospel throughout the known world and to reach Spain, he put leaders in place everywhere he planted a church and then gave them the crash course on ministry. We would call this “quick and dirty” before we would call it “quality.” Paul gave them their marching orders and then basically instructed them, “Do the best you can. The Holy Spirit will guide you. If you run into trouble, then send me a letter.” Then, Paul was off to the next place. 

In living with the tension between the quality and quantity of ministry, I want you to consider these words from Peter Drucker on the Profession of Management: