Issue #414, January 14, 2026  Flourishing things are attractive. We love to look at a well-manicured flower garden where all the plants are healthy and strong. The same is true for organizations that flourish—they are attractive. Flourishing plants require healthy soil; flourishing organizations require a healthy culture. In this series we’ll examine 6 elements of […]

Issue #413, December 10, 2025 How does Christmas impact your leadership? The coming of Jesus as a baby changes everything and reshapes the way we lead. Theologians describe the coming of Jesus as the incarnation which means that God stepped into human life. He entered our world, our struggles and our experiences. Matthew describes what […]

Issue #412, November 26, 2025 Many leaders live in tomorrow—and miss the blessings of today.  While looking ahead and solving problems is a needed component of leadership, it can lead to a lack of appreciation for what is. Serving leaders learn to lead with gratitude. Consider Paul’s leadership: 33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all […]

Issue #411, November 12, 2025 Healthy leaders understand that their heart shapes everything they do. They pay attention to their emotions—not to be ruled by them, but to guide them in the right direction. Great leaders don’t suppress emotions; they shepherd them. Our heart can be guided in the right direction. Consider these scriptures:   […]

Issue #410, October 29, 2025 Healthy leaders pay attention to their heart, the seat of their emotions. In the previous issue we recognized the power of our heart to direct our lives and the difficulty in understanding it. David acknowledged his desire to have an undivided heart. He also cried out to God for help […]

Issue #409, October 15,  2025 Most leadership writing is action focused, which is natural since leaders value results. Yet, the Bible focuses more on matters of the heart, mentioning our heart more than 500 times, certainly an indication of how significant our heart is. While the biblical view of the heart encompasses the mind, will […]

Issue #408, October 1, 2025 Do you consider yourself a follower of Jesus or a friend of Jesus? The difference is profoundly significant. The words Jesus gave His disciples invite us to an intimate friendship: 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does […]

Issue #407, September 17, 2025 Most leaders say that their people are valuable.  But serving leaders actually love like Jesus. An intimate relationship with Jesus becomes the foundation of the way they treat their teams, make decisions and build culture. Jesus talked about this dynamic love relationship:   9 “As the Father has loved me, so have […]

Issue #406, September 3, 2025 Leaders naturally gravitate towards the front of the room. They often enjoy being in the spotlight, recognized and acknowledged as important people. They bring glory to themselves and use their positions to build their own name.  But when a leader walks in deep intimacy with Jesus, everything in their life […]

Issue #405, August 20, 2025 Leaders love results! They measure progress, celebrate wins and dream of seeing their vision become reality. But serving leaders learn that fruit comes, not from their striving, but because of their intimate relationship with Jesus.  Consider His words to the disciples: 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. […]

Issue #404, August 6, 2025 We naturally view leaders as independent and able to guide and direct on their own.  But serving leaders are dependent on an intimate relationship with Jesus that transforms them. In John 15, Jesus speaks to His disciples about the relationship He wants to have with them—one of a deep, life-giving […]

Issue #403, July 23, 2025 Joshua’s leadership work was nearly done.  The land was divided, and the people were settled. But before he died, he used wisdom to cast a vision for the next generation.    14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates […]

Issue #402, July 9, 2025 Few things need wisdom like trying to divide an inheritance among siblings! Joshua faced this on a national scale as he led the Israelites through the process of dividing up the land into tribal portions.  Joshua employed wisdom in this potentially explosive moment and offers serving leaders practical wisdom for […]

Issue # 401, June 25, 2025 Joshua led Israel through a series of military campaigns to claim the land God had promised to them. But he didn’t rely on military tactics of his experience—he applied wisdom in his decisions, guided by surrender, obedience and adaptability. Though most serving leaders do not lead armies, they can […]

Issue #400, June 11, 2025  After a great victory over the city of Jericho, Joshua sent a few of his troops to the small city of Ai, expecting an easy victory. Instead, his army was routed.  Joshua rightly asked God what went wrong and God responded.     10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What […]

Issue #399, May 28, 2025 Joshua received a spirit of wisdom from Moses—but that didn’t mean his path would be free of failure. In fact, one of his early leadership mistakes with the Gibeonites became a powerful lesson in gaining wisdom through failure.  This happened in his interaction with the Gibeonites, a nearby group of […]

Issue #398, May 14, 2025 Leadership challenges quickly show us how much we need wisdom—more than knowledge alone, we need the ability to act correctly in difficult moments. This is the essence of wisdom: applying what we know and experience to make sound judgments and decisions. Knowledge relates to what we know; wisdom relates to […]

Issue #397, April 30, 2025 Effective leaders grow the people around them and continually delegate more and more responsibility to their teams. This builds leadership depth and prepares the organization for the time that they will no longer be the leader. Faith leaders take a long-term perspective to their work believing that God’s design is […]

Issue #396, April 16, 2025 Great leaders build teams around them to help accomplish the vision. They understand that there is no such thing as a well-rounded leader, but there are well-rounded teams. Build on Strength™ is the fourth action in the Serving Leader Model® (*see note). It means leveraging the strengths of each individual […]

Issue #395, April 2, 2025 Successful leaders maintain a laser focus on the organization’s success and ensure everyone is aligned with accomplishing the mission. This is the third action of the Serving Leader Model®, Blaze the Trail™ (*see note). This action reflects what organizations do—their mission. Faith leaders, like Paul, see their organization as a […]

Issue #394, March 19, 2025 Effective leadership begins with a compelling purpose. But the vision will not be accomplished unless teams are built around shared values that align peoples’ actions with the vision. Values guide the actions of everyone on the team and shape the culture. Values are expressed when someone says, “That’s how we […]

Issue #393, March 5, 2025 The apostle Paul is a model leader in so many ways. In this series, we’ll examine how Paul’s leadership is an example of the Five Actions of Serving Leadership™ (*see note). The first of the five actions is Run to Great Purpose™ which calls every organization to pursue a great […]

#392, February 19, 2025 All leaders expect those under them to follow, but there is also a sense in which serving leaders follow those under them!  Paul’s exhortation lays the foundation for our reflections. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV). Paul was the leader, actively seeking to […]

#391, Feb. 5, 2025 Leaders lead—but they also follow! We have examined how serving leaders follow those in authority over them and how they follow those ahead of them. In this issue, we’ll continue to look at Paul’s instructions to the church in Corinth and reflect on how leaders follow those around them, their peers. […]

#390, January 22, 2025   In the last issue, we examined how serving leaders follow those in authority over them as Paul followed Christ. In this issue, we’ll focus on how leaders follow those ahead of them. Serving leaders today have the privilege not only of following those in authority over them, but also following other […]

#389, January 8, 2025 Leaders call others to follow, but leaders also follow! Paul was an amazing leader in so many ways. He was an apostle, a pioneer in the early church, a church planter, an author, and a developer of other leaders. Yet consider his call to the believers in Corinth: Follow my example, […]

December 11, 2024 One of the profound mysteries of the Christian faith is that God came to be with us in the person of Jesus! One of the many names of Jesus is Emmanuel which means “God with us.” (See Mt. 1:23). Theologians call this the incarnation which means that in Jesus the divine spirit […]

#387, November 27, 2024 A shepherd is the most common biblical image of leadership. Shepherds are tasked with the responsibility to guide and protect the flock under their care which is a great picture of leadership. Yet, not all shepherds (leaders) lead as true shepherds. Consider Ezekiel’s words: 1The word of the LORD came to […]

November 13, 2024 Paul’s description of a thriving body that grows and becomes stronger and stronger is a powerful image for any organization and a healthy model for any leader to follow. 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so […]

October 30, 2024 When the vision, values and mission of any organization are clarified and embedded deeply into the culture of the organization people thrive. But Paul’s vision also includes two more actions serving leaders can take to build a thriving world.  11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and […]

October 16, 2024 We have reflected on two actions that serving leaders take which produce a thriving world—they shape the vision and set the values. A third action serving leaders take to produce thriving is to share the mission. Again, consider Paul’s vision of the church body. 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, […]

October 2, 2024 Serving leaders create a world in which people thrive. This world is described by Paul: 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity […]