How good is your listening?
Phil Moon
As a leader, do you listen? I hope so, as I think you really need to. But sadly, it’s a bit too easy not to listen and far too easy to get into the habit of not listening.
There’s lots of listening we should be doing. Listening to the Lord through his Word. Listening to the world in which we live. Listening to those in authority over us. Listening to our spouses and children when they tell us they’ve forgotten who we are… I’d like to look at three other areas of listening where we may just be getting slightly deaf.
How do we lead without manipulating?
Phil Moon
Note: This article contains content that may be triggering for some readers.
I recently had a really helpful call from someone, and it made me think more about manipulation in Christian ministry.
the pastor's toolkit
But who’s reviewing you?
Phil Moon
We live in a world of reviews, don’t we? Hardly a day goes by without several emails turning up, wanting me to review something.
I imagine that’s presumably because they want to do better - and so, I hope, do we. All the time. I hope and pray that my next sermon will be my best yet, the next meeting I chair the most effective so far, the next mentoring meeting to start to be useful, and the next bit of training I deliver, simply out of this world. Or better than last time anyway…
the pastor's toolkit
Church leaders: should you be more open to change?
Phil Moon
I admit it. I love change. I recognise that most people find it far more of a struggle than I do - strange I know - so I’ll try and go gently.
A part of who we are
You’re a Christian? That does mean that you have experienced the greatest, most significant change that anyone could ever experience. You’ve started a new life. You really have. So, change is not altogether alien to us, is it? And as the Holy Spirit works in us, He is changing us, often very slowly, to become more and more like Jesus. Real change. It’s just part of who we are.
the pastor's toolkit
Pastors: one year in and struggling?
Phil Moon
Am I the only one to notice that there seems to be such a thing as a 'first year dive’? It may be my imagination, but I think there's something to it.
I have a number of friends and know of several others who've got about one year in to a first position of responsibility – where you’re the senior pastor or vicar – and suddenly it hits them.
Leader, are you an 'accepter' or a 'controller'?
What do you think is the opposite of a "control freak"?
I found that question difficult to answer, so I put it into You-Know-What and it came up with lots of suggestions, including "pushover", "soft touch" and "doormat".