Dec 14, 2017 | Calling, Career, discouragement, Fear, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, People Leaving, Stress, Uncategorized, Work
Growth often starts with subtraction. Thousands of years ago, when Israel was being oppressed by the Midianites, God raised up a leader named Gideon to deliver His people from their enemy. When Gideon initially rallied the troops, 32,000 men showed up. But God said:...
Dec 7, 2017 | Calling, Fear, Leadership, Likeability, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Pastor's Spouse, People-pleasing, Relationships, Uncategorized
Hi my name is John. I’m a recovering people-pleasing-aholic. My first twelve years of ministry had a significant undercurrent of people-pleasing attached to it. The subconscious desire for everyone to like me led to bad scheduling decisions, inner conflicts over how...
Nov 16, 2017 | Burnout, Calling, Career, Emotional Health, Family, Fatigue, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Productivity, Rest, Stress, Uncategorized, Work, Workaholism
If you ask twenty people how many hours per week is reasonable for a leader to work, you’d probably get twenty different answers. Researchers from the business world have proven time and again that once you hit forty-five hours in a week, productivity (for most...
Sep 21, 2017 | Burnout, Calling, Career, Emotional Health, Family, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Productivity, Rest, Stress, Uncategorized, Work
I enjoy watching the ABC show, Shark Tank. It’s entertaining, funny, informative, and at times—touching. The show reminds me about the importance of focus, passion, hard work, and commitment to one’s calling. It’s a weekly testament to the power of diligence,...
Aug 31, 2017 | Calling, friendship, Loneliness, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Relationships
Today we welcome back a good friend to the Converge Coaching blog… Dave Barringer. Dave is a husband, father, a friend of mine, an author. . . check out his book here . . . and the pastor of a growing church. Hope you enjoy his contribution ~ John In 20 years of...
Aug 17, 2017 | Burnout, Calling, Criticism, Depression, Difficult people, discouragement, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Quitting
“John, I can’t take the pressure anymore. . . I’m thinking about resigning.” You’d be surprised how often those words or some variation of them travel across the cellular airwaves to me each month. Lead pastors who feel desperate, tired, emotionally beat up, out of...
