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The New Traditional Church: Web Strategy

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I’m amazed at the number of churches that still view the web as primarily an advertising mechanism to let people know who they are and what they’re doing. Go ahead. Visit several church websites. Really doesn’t even matter what size the church is. With few exceptions, you’ll find their web strategy is essentially a bullhorn approach. The church is standing on a streetcorner of the web yelling at the people passing by:

  • “Come to our services on Sunday!”
  • “Let me tell you about our men’s ministry!”
  • “Join us for the golf tournament or fishing derby!”
  • “Serve on one of our ministry teams!”
  • “Give money to our church!”
  • “Here’s what we believe!”

It’s a one-sided relationship. The church views the web as a place to promote their agenda. No interaction with the audience. No stories of life change. No solutions to help people experience community or discipleship online. At best, you may be able to watch a video of a service, but you certainly won’t have the opportunity to engage a conversation with others about what you’re watching.

Essentially we’ve taken the Sunday service bulletin and we’ve put it on our website. That’s the web strategy for the Church today. “Here’s who we are and what we’re doing. Join us!”

The rest of the world views the Web very differently. For example, outside of the Church, people go online to:

  • Meet other people and build relationships
  • Share what’s happening in their life and tell their story
  • Get a taste of the experience, primarily through video, with the opportunity to interact
  • Have the ability to share slivers of content with others (3-minute clips, not 45-minute messages)
  • View content on demand on their time
  • Create content to add their contribution to the bigger story

Rather than looking at the Web through the eyes of a Facebook and YouTube and Twitter user, though, we’re still looking at the Web through the eyes of a Sunday bulletin reader. That approach works for the people who are already attending our churches. It completely ignors the people who we are trying to reach.

And that’s the problem. We view the Web as an add-on. After we’ve figured out how we’re going to do ministry, then we want to know how to use the Web to promote our ministry.

Instead, the churches that have influence within our online culture look at ministry differently. They assume the people they’re trying to reach are online. They assume the people who are connected to their ministry are online. Rather than looking at the Web as an add-on, they consider their web strategy as a fully-integrated part of how they help people take steps toward Christ. They are a church online as much as they are a church in a building located on the corner of First and Main.

The website isn’t something the “web monkey” maintains. It’s a place where the youth pastor, worship leader, children’s director, small group leader, senior pastor and every other person of influence help people to connect and grow. It’s an environment where the entire church engages the community and encourages each other to take their next steps. It’s as much their story as it is our story.

Of course, this approach to the Web would require far more time, resources and leadership. It would be much less expensive than building a new building, but it would require a shift in thinking and a shift in focus. Because it’s new, it would be hard. Because the staff and volunteer leadership team would have to embrace this new approach, it would be challenging.

We’d rather stick with what we know. It’s a lot easier to maintain our online bulletins. And that’s another reason why we are the new traditional church.

__________________

Other Posts in This Series:

Killing Cockroaches Summer Tour 2009

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It’s official! The Killing Cockroaches Summer Tour 2009 is going to happen. The Morgan family is super excited about jumping in the family truckster and traveling throughout the country. It’ll be a combination family vacation and training workshop tour. Here are the details:

  • Stops in 6 cities: Atlanta, Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago, Columbus and Nashville
  • 1/2 day workshops hosted by 6 great churches
  • Events scheduled over 3 weeks beginning June 29 in Atlanta and concluding July 17 in Nashville
  • Teaching on 2 topics: “Building Teams & Empowering Leaders” and “Finding Your Focus”
  • Plenty of time for Q&A to dig deeper on these topics and more
  • Priced (only $29) so you can bring both staff and volunteers

You can find more details on the schedule, the topics and the host churches on the registration page. Seating will be limited at all locations, so be sure to register today. If it’s anything like my past experiences with similar events, some of these locations will sell out.

I’m looking forward to having you meet my family and getting the chance to hang out with you. This is going to be fun. I hope you’ll join us.

UPDATE: The early bird rate of $29 will end two weeks prior to the event. Register early to save money.

My Favorite Blackberry Apps

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I know. I’m not as cool as you because I carry a Blackberry instead of an iPhone. Until AT&T improves their coverage where I live, iPhone isn’t an option. And, until AT&T improves their pricing to be competitive with the Sprint “Everything” family plans, the iPhone isn’t an option.

That said, there are some apps on Blackberry that make it more than just a great tool for communication. Here are my favorite apps:

  • AllSport GPS – Use it to track my time, distance and pace when I run.
  • Blackberry App World – Where I browse new apps.
  • Gmail – Because my world is run through Gmail.
  • Google Mobile App – One of the coolest new features is the search by voice.
  • Google Sync – Syncs my Google calendar and contacts to my phone.
  • Opera Mini – I prefer this mobile browser of the ones I’ve tried so far.
  • Pandora – The mobile version of my favorite free music web app.
  • Salesforce Mobile – It connects me to the CRM app I’ve landed on.
  • SmartFlicks – Accesses my Netflix account from my phone.
  • Sprint Navigation – No need for a separate navigation system. It’s all on my phone.
  • TetherBerry – The only paid app I own. Allows me to connect to the Internet through my phone.
  • TwitterBerry – It’s what I use to post updates to Twitter and follow replies and direct messages.
  • Vlingo – Use it to dictate messages and control my phone with my voice.
  • YouVersion – Allows me to carry my Bible with me wherever I go.

What am I missing that you would recommend I check out?

innovate: Perry Noble

2 Comments
  • 7:55 PM tonymorganlive - “If you are a pastor in the South, you have to be strapped [own a gun].”
  • 7:56 PM tonymorganlive - “When the alarm goes off, you can’t be passive.”
  • 7:57 PM tonymorganlive - “The message to the Church is this: you better wake up!”
  • 7:58 PM tonymorganlive - “I believe the Church’s best days are ahead of her.”
  • 7:59 PM tonymorganlive - (You should see the woman who is trying to sign everything that Perry is saying. Her arms are flailing about.)
  • 8:00 PM tonymorganlive - “What is it that God wants to do in my church?”
  • 8:01 PM tonymorganlive - “I didn’t say ‘What is it that the deacons or the bloggers want to do in my church?’”
  • 8:03 PM tonymorganlive - “The ‘older brother’ is sitting in the seat of leadership in our churches.” (referring to the story of the Prodigal Son)
  • 8:06 PM tonymorganlive - “The older son didn’t have the heart of the father in him.”
  • 8:06 PM tonymorganlive - “At conferences, there’s too much inspiration and not enough revelation.”
  • 8:06 PM tonymorganlive - “If you don’t have a vision, you’re not a leader.”
  • 8:07 PM tonymorganlive - “The only way we can’t get a vision from God is to spend time with God.”
  • 8:08 PM tonymorganlive - “You gotta’ be stupid to plant a church.”
  • 8:09 PM tonymorganlive - “God used unschooled, ordinary men to change the world.”
  • 8:10 PM tonymorganlive - “People say, ‘The music is too loud.’ Well, you’re going to hate Heaven.”
  • 8:11 PM tonymorganlive - “We have to pray and work.”
  • 8:12 PM tonymorganlive - “We have to put effort into it.”
  • 8:14 PM tonymorganlive - “If it’s God’s will, it’s God’s bill.”
  • 8:14 PM tonymorganlive - “This is my opinion…but I’m right.”
  • 8:15 PM tonymorganlive - “Most churches stick their kids and students in the basement with a woman that knew Moses.”
  • 8:19 PM tonymorganlive - “We’re going going to try to listen to God and do what he says.”
  • 8:19 PM tonymorganlive - “What are the barriers that stand in our way?”
  • 8:19 PM tonymorganlive - “Did you know there are some people that don’t want the church to grow?”
  • 8:20 PM tonymorganlive - “I thought the food fight in the grave yard was a great idea.”
  • 8:21 PM tonymorganlive - “Here’s how you know you’ve got a vision from God: It makes people mad.”
  • 8:21 PM tonymorganlive - “Christians are the meanest people in the world.”
  • 8:26 PM tonymorganlive - 3 problems… #1 = “Refusal to change.”
  • 8:27 PM tonymorganlive - “Pastors, we can’t lead a church according to personal preferences.”
  • 8:28 PM tonymorganlive - “The church in Acts grew because it was willing to change.”
  • 8:29 PM tonymorganlive - “Don’t change things just to change things. That’s stupid.”
  • 8:30 PM tonymorganlive - #2 = “Jealousy.”
  • 8:30 PM tonymorganlive - “Jealousy will stop a church from growing faster than anything.”
  • 8:31 PM tonymorganlive - “Is it all about the numbers? I think it is.”
  • 8:32 PM tonymorganlive - #3 = “Lack of understanding.”
  • 8:33 PM tonymorganlive - “The same God that was in the book of Acts is in your church.”
  • 8:34 PM tonymorganlive - “When we make church growth a formula, we tell God we don’t need him.”
  • 8:34 PM tonymorganlive - “We can prepare for a move of God, but we can’t plan for it.”
  • 8:34 PM tonymorganlive - “What do we want to celebrate?”
  • 8:39 PM tonymorganlive - “We always like to condemn the sins we’re not committing.”
  • 8:39 PM tonymorganlive - “We don’t try to be relevant. We preach the Gospel.”
  • 8:40 PM tonymorganlive - “Aren’t we all sinners that needed a Savior?”
  • 8:41 PM tonymorganlive - “Jesus did not die for your political party.”
  • 8:41 PM tonymorganlive - “We yell at lost people for acting like lost people.”
  • 8:42 PM tonymorganlive - “At the end of the day, all I want to see is for people to meet Jesus.”
  • 8:42 PM tonymorganlive - “Because I haven’t forgotten what it feels like to be lost.”
  • 8:43 PM tonymorganlive - “Jesus saved me, and he changed me.”
  • 8:43 PM tonymorganlive - “That’s what we celebrate: changed lives.”

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innovate: Ed Stetzer

1 Comment
  • 11:16 AM tonymorganlive - “Unconfessed sin impacts the power of God in our churches.”
  • 11:16 AM tonymorganlive - (Ed is looking great btw… I think we’re going to be able to share clothes soon. Very exciting.)
  • 11:18 AM tonymorganlive - “I don’t look promiscuous. I got that covered.” :-)
  • 11:19 AM tonymorganlive - “Before God, sin is sin.”
  • 11:19 AM tonymorganlive - “God change me. God forgive me. God make me right.”
  • 11:21 AM tonymorganlive - (Love this. Ed is talking about sin with church leaders. We are not perfect. We still wrestle with sin. We don’t wear our sin on our sleeves, but we still sin. And there are consequences to our sin. God change me. God forgive me.)
  • 11:22 AM tonymorganlive - “Compromise is Satan’s desire.”
  • 11:23 AM tonymorganlive - “If Satan cannot compromise our beliefs, he’s happy to settle for compromising our character.”
  • 11:24 AM tonymorganlive - “We need to be Gospel centered and repentance filled lives.”
  • 11:26 AM tonymorganlive - “Secret sins are only that way for a short time.”
  • 11:26 AM tonymorganlive - “God has a desire to bring secret sins out.”
  • 11:27 AM tonymorganlive - “If you’re not repenting of your sin, your sin will catch up with you.”
  • 11:27 AM tonymorganlive - “If you won’t come to repentance, God will bring you to repentance.”
  • 11:28 AM tonymorganlive - “We have become too comfortable with sin in our lives.”
  • 11:29 AM tonymorganlive - “Private sin can deliver the community of faith into public defeat.”
  • 11:30 AM tonymorganlive - “Pastor, your sin saps your church’s spiritual power.”
  • 11:31 AM tonymorganlive - “Just as faith is best lived out in community, so is sin. Get broken or God will break you.”
  • 11:32 AM tonymorganlive - “The church’s toleration of sin distracts it from the mission God has called it to.”
  • 11:38 AM tonymorganlive - “Stop trying to convince yourself that the sin in your life won’t impact the mission of your church.”
  • 11:38 AM tonymorganlive - “A return to God’s mission begins with a repentance to God’s standard.”
  • 11:43 AM tonymorganlive - The Bible says: “Sin is crouching at the door.”
  • 11:44 AM tonymorganlive - “Your life is filled with sin. My life is filled with sin, but that doesn’t mean we have to be comfortable with it.”
  • 11:46 AM tonymorganlive - “It’s so easy to think: I’m glad I’m not like him. Well, you are just like him.” (talking about Ted Haggard)
  • 11:47 AM tonymorganlive - “We find ways to justify our own sin.”
  • 11:48 AM tonymorganlive - “When I spoke here last year, I weighed 117 pounds more than I do today. I had to deal with the sin in my life.”
  • 11:50 AM tonymorganlive - (This is very powerful. Ed is sharing his story. I’m not going to try to summarize here. You’ll need to hear it for yourselves at some point.)
  • 11:55 AM tonymorganlive - “We’re spending too much time in the work of the Lord rather than with the Lord of the work.”
  • 11:56 AM tonymorganlive - “Listen to the Lord. He’ll convict you. And tomorrow you’ll need to do it again.”

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New Coaching Network Opportunity

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I’m really excited about this announcement today. I’m going to be partnering with Ron Sylvia, Ed Stetzer and the LifeWay team to offer a new coaching network experience for senior and executive pastor teams. As far as I know, this is the first coaching network of its kind where senior and executive pastors get to participate in a coaching experience together.

Here are some of the details:

  • Begins Tuesday, July 21, 2009
  • Limited to 12 teams – Lead Pastor & Executive Pastor
  • Meets a full day monthly on the third Tuesday of each month
  • All the gatherings will be in Ocala, Florida…just north of Orlando.
  • 6-month commitment required

I’ll be team-leading this coaching network with Ron Sylvia. Ron and I have been good friends for a number of years. He’s the lead pastor of The Springs in Ocala. He brings a wealth of wisdom and experience both as a church leader and as a leadership coach.

Because this is the first time this type of coaching network has been offered and because it’s limited to only 12 teams, we’re expecting this to fill up quickly. With that, I hope you’ll consider registering today.

Are you in?

p.s. They have palm trees in Ocala. That’s what I’m talking about!

My Theology of Leadership (part 2)

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Leaders are servants. It’s counter-intuitive. It may be unlike the leadership you’ve experienced in the marketplace…or even the church for that matter. But biblical leaders are servant-leaders.

“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers–not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” (I Peter 5:2-3).

It’s interesting that of all the roles outside the church, God chose the shepherd to be the model of leadership within the church. When you think business titan or political leader, you probably don’t think shepherd. God’s way is different, though. He wants leaders who are ready to serve. He wants people who will not lord their leadership powers over those entrusted to their care.

Jesus, of course, was the perfect example of embracing and championing this servant-leader approach. Here’s what he had to share:

“Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave–just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’”(Matthew 20:25-28).

Clearly Jesus is teaching a distinction between an authoritative style of leadership and leadership that is focused on serving others. You wouldn’t typically think leaders are first servers, but that’s how Jesus designed it.

Most of what makes a servant-leader is our attitude towards ourselves and others. Paul explained it like this:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

The key is the attitude of humility. Rather than focusing on our ambitions and our own interests, Paul suggests we need to also focus on the interests of others. Here’s what I know about the interests of others: they’re sometimes different than mine. It takes a confident yet humble leader to follow God’s calling in his or her own life while also considering the interests of others around them. We have to live in that tension in order to experience God’s design for the church. That’s how we accomplish his purposes.

So, here are some questions you may want to consider about your leadership:

  • When people consider who I am as a leader, do they think “servant” first?
  • Do I lord over those in my care?
  • Am I pursuing my ambitions, or do I consider the interests of others?
  • How would those people I lead respond to these questions?

I hope you’ll join me in wrestling through these passages and these questions. The Church needs a new kind of leader. That’s the way God designed it. And that’s what he demands of those who are called to lead others. This isn’t just a model for church leadership. This is a model for how we are to interact with people all around us.

Are you a servant-leader?

Other Posts in This Series:

A Church that Embraces Hip Hop

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You may have read and joined the conversation about my recent post on music in “The New Traditional Church.” In response to that post, I heard from several people who were aware of churches using hip hop in their services. This particular story caught my attention. Here’s an interview with Stefanie Kelly, the worship arts director at the Rock Church in San Diego, CA.

TONY: For those who are unfamiliar with the Rock Church, tell us a little bit about your story.

rock church danceSTEFANIE: The Rock is a diverse church nearing 14,000 attendees located in the heart of urban San Diego, California. Pastor Miles McPherson was obedient to the call of Christ on his life, and after being mentored by Mike Macintosh of Horizon Calvary Chapel, the Rock was birthed.  It is home to hundreds of small groups, 62 ministries such as JC’s Girls (a ministry to strippers) and Luv Em’ Up (a ministry to our inspirational congregants with disabilities), as well as countless other ministries that reach out into the literal and figurative prisons of our community in order to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to all who will hear.  We are a DO SOMETHING church, meaning, the Rock is dedicated not only to encouraging our church family, but to going into all the world to preach the gospel in tangible ways by serving our community.

TONY: In case you didn’t hear, my post on hip-hop and R&B in the church raised a little stir. How is the Rock Church using these genres of music in your services?

STEFANIE: At the Rock we strive to be relevant in every area of programming, especially in the musical portion of our worship.  Because Christ was incredibly relevant and in touch with His time, we are also committed to following that example.  As the Worship Arts Director, I specifically listen to music outside the church walls in order to know what is currently happening in the world.  In fact, I often find myself worshipping to something like Shania’s “Forever and For Always”, Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, or EWF’s “Sing a Song”.  For that reason, and depending on the musical strengths of the volunteer musicians available on any given week, we deliberately arrange, program, and write with an R&B/hip-hop bent.

For example, one Sunday our musicians played a tune with a very pronounced Ne-yo groove, and on another day we featured a rap with a hip-hop vocalist backed by our gospel choir on the vamp!  (BTW, Resonate, our choir, is an SAT choir – which generates a more R&B sound, rather than an SATB choir – which is more traditional in nature).  On another Sunday we featured a hip-hop dance presentation, and in the coming weeks we are going to worship to “Umbrella”.

rock church danceJust this past Sunday our worship consisted of an acoustic jazz set with a grand piano, upright bass, a siiiiiick saxophonist, and three “American Idol Style” background vocalists. God has blessed us with wonderfully talented musicians who are not only skilled as in Psalm 33:3, but are dedicated to the spiritual health and unity of our arts program because of their genuine love for the Lord.

TONY: Why are you using these new styles of music?

STEFANIE: I believe Paul was directly speaking from the heart of the Lord when he called us to be “all things to all people” – and because the Rock is an urban church with a diverse demographic, we must offer all musical genres to the worshipper.  For one worshipper, the hip-hop style reaches to the core…for another, it is the pop-rock genre that moves the heart.  For the “wiser” members we will approach musical worship one way…for the younger and growing in their wisdom, we will choose another way.

Fortunately, God has provided the Rock with skilled musicians who are able to play a wide range of musical styles with excellence.  I believe one reason why we don’t hear R&B/hip-hop music more frequently in today’s church is because smaller congregations are often limited in their resources, but they are faithfully doing the best they can with what has been given to them.

TONY: Do you believe hip-hop can be a part of our corporate worship?

STEFANIE: I absolutely believe hip-hop can be, should be, and will be an important worship style of the future – in addition to all the beautiful styles of music our innovative God created!   The R&B/hip-hop element will, however, require a dedication on the part of the staff and congregation to dig deeper into the well of musical study and commitment in order to facilitate this with excellence.  Somewhere, though, doesn’t it say that “all things are possible with God”?

TONY: How would you encourage other churches in this area of ministry?

rock church danceSTEFANIE: I would encourage other churches to boldly go out on a limb and embrace new ways of worshipping God through music.  But in order to do that, we need to diversify and de-segregate.  As a result, the music will naturally do the same, to the praise of His glorious grace!  Every Sunday when I look out into our congregation and see all shapes, sizes, ages and colors, I thank the Lord that I am not just surrounded by “like” people with the same musical preferences, but am sharpened by the diversity that harmoniously defines our unified worship!

The Bible says that God has given us a “new song” to sing – and He is neither confined nor limited to just one style of praise.   Finally, in regards to hip-hop, because of the negative messages prevalent in pop hip-hop culture today, I believe the church at large is afraid to incorporate this genre into modern services because of the potential criticism that might occur as a result.  But now is the time for believers to reclaim ALL styles and take back what was created for His glory in the first place – the wonderful gift of music, in the mighty name of Jesus!

Check Out the New Job Listings

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Looking for your next adventure in ministry? Well, you’ve come to the right place. We have several new job listings on the job board from recent days. You can choose from these roles:

  • business director
  • video producer
  • kids director
  • worship pastor
  • campus pastor
  • lead pastor
  • pastor of spiritual formation
  • producer

Or, if you’re a church looking for gifted people, check out these resumes.

Just trying to connect good churches with good people. Hope it helps.

My Theology of Leadership (part 1)

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Over the last number of weeks, I’ve been diving into the Scriptures to better understand a biblical perspective on leadership. Over the next several days, I plan on sharing what I’m learning. I want to challenge you to do the same. Today, I’m going to take the opportunity to explain why.

First of all, I believe that leadership is a gift. It’s among the list of spiritual gifts listed in Scripture. “If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously” (Romans 12:8). Now with that, the Bible says, “God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well” (Romans 12:6). That suggests that some people have leadership abilities, but others don’t. We are all followers, but not all of us are leaders. I think we all can learn some some leadership skills, but not all of us are gifted to be leaders. One of the first questions you may want to ask yourself is this: Am I really a leader?

I also believe that God has designed the Church to have clear leadership roles and structure. For example, “the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.” (Ephesians 4:11). These are specific roles God designed for ministry. Then in passages like I Timothy 3, we see defined leadership roles of elders and deacons. We are also called to respect the leadership structure God puts in place. “Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God” (Hebrews 13:17).

Now, here’s why I think we need to all wrestle with our theology of leadership. God has gifted some to be leaders. God has defined leadership roles in the church. But, God has also expressly defined for us how leaders are supposed to act. Frankly, sometimes I see a gap between God’s design for leadership and how we (including I) live out our leadership roles.

There’s this warning in the Bible to commit ourselves to the instructions of God’s Word rather than the traditions of man. (See Mark 7:8-9.) I’ve heard some press on the fact that we tend in the modern church to look too closely to marketplace leadership for cues to how we should lead in the church. That’s probably a fair argument. Not all successful leadership is biblical leadership. However, I do see business leaders using leadership principles taught in Scripture whether they know it or not.

The bottom line, however, is that we can learn from business leaders, but they should not be the anchor for how we lead. We can also learn from fellow church leaders, but they are also human and don’t necessarily provide a perfect model for biblical leadership. When we look to other leaders, we are essentially holding on to our traditions, rather than embracing the truth about leadership found in God’s Word. That needs to become our filter for truth. Just because we see other leaders doing it, doesn’t mean that’s how God designed it.

So, I ask you: What’s your theology of leadership? If you’re like me, it’ll continually be shifting in some respects as you come to a clearer understanding of God’s Word and how it applies to your life. You are not becoming the leader God designed you to be, however, if you are only learning about leadership from the books you read and the people you watch and your experiences along the way.

We need to wrestle with this issue and try to understand how God defines leadership. I hope you’ll join me on this journey to discover these answers together.