794 words - 2 minutes to read, unless you fall down the rabbit hole.
It has been a great year for readers of Church Leader Insider.
The goal is to write for large church Senior Pastors, Executive Pastors and Board chairs. We want to give that audience something to consider, chew on, and occasionally laugh at.
We know the articles sometimes confuse and anger readers as well. We can tell by the unsubscribes.
But we often write these to help clarify our thinking and get readers' feedback so that we can help other leaders in our various consultation practices.
As the chief word mangler and director, I am glad anyone reads it. My friend Greg Ligon dropped back on his writing schedule this year, but I added Jim Sheppard to fill some holes. Plus, based on my current consulting schedule, we have an occasional guest or reprint from elsewhere.
Here are 2022 most-read articles with links to enjoy them again.
Colin Powell Rules – part 1
This one opened last year and had a great response. Part 2 did not but it deserved a better read. Here that one is for those that want to reconsider.
“Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” (from the article) so I hope you go back and read it.
What people are searching for - from Greg Ligon’s hands.
Greg looks at Google’s practices and how that could have implications for churches. It got a huge reader number. I wonder if google helped promote it up?
IS 2022 a Key year for succession? - from me.
It was, but conditions have changed somewhat. In a webinar in January, I will explain why 2023 will be different in that area. You can find a registration link in today’s ad.
I now have about ten other article ideas and webinar ideas on Senior Pastor Succession. As I continue to focus on that area in my consulting practice, I learn more and more. That learning applies to the clients I serve, of course, but I hope to find some principles that can be shared widely.
Might as well mention the ad here. Coming on January 25, 2023 LIVE at 5 p.m. Eastern time.
Why 2023 and 2024 will bring a change in Senior Pastor Succession Practices
Click it to register. You must register to attend. 25 minutes and not recorded.
After 20-plus years advising churches on Senior Leader Succession, several changes are coming. If you are seriously thinking about this issue for the coming years, come hear what I see for this year and next based on current trends.
People are more normal than you think - also from me.
Here are the conclusions:
While the extreme portrayals of Americans get the headlines, the people are more regular than you think.
While every one of us has our quirks and nuances, the bulk of Americans looks much like us.
America is more middle class, Christian, and educated across all our racial diversity than we think.
Our assumptions about our community, county, city, and country are often wrong and prevent productive thinking on evangelization and discipleship. We tend to think negatively and towards alarmism due to media influences.
It deserves a re-read to look at the real facts.
How many mistakes do you make a year – part 4 of Drucker
The Drucker series drove a lot of new subscribers. I don’t know if part 4 was better than parts 1,2 and 3, but the readership jumped. Someone go read all three and explain that one to me.
Almost but not yet – Greg Ligon’s contribution for September
I am working with Greg to take some of the succession practice. His list formulation of some tensions is pure gold:
Identity - Where does church/role end and my next season persona begin?
Focus - In this last leg of the relay, where do I focus on church and where do I focus on me?
Timing - Is there are a ‘hard chronological stop” or is there a “revealed right moment?
Walmart knows more about your people than the church does - Greg Ligon in October.
Greg shares some of the learnings from our friend Matt Engel and research on the importance of getting people to show up a third time.
The economy and your next generosity initiative - I wrote it, but it was Jim Sheppard’s thinking
This article was based on Jim's talk with the Generis team in October. Economic factors are real, but spiritual momentum is even more important.
Pair that one with Jim's posts on Four Things Pastors Fear in a Generosity Initiative and Four More Things Pastors Fear in a Generosity Initiative.
I will probably share more on the economy and its impact for 2023 in an early edition next year.
Ship Daily (or share daily)
This fall edition got many “shares” from readers even though the concept had already made the rounds in other fields. It’s always good to find learnings from one field, in this case, software, to apply to our work as church leaders.
Coming in 2023 in Church Leader Insider
Hopefully, we will get an edition each month from Greg Ligon and Jim Sheppard. My planning has a flow of 56 topics that I will have to narrow down to 24 to 30 issues. Some will be great, and some will stink, but I hope all will engage your brain as you think about your future leadership situations.