Leadership in Context

The purpose of temptation isn't simply to lead us into sin. Its ultimate goal is death. Sin is the path that leads us there. Lying, deceiving, and accusing are trademarks of the enemy. As spiritual leaders, we need to be aware of his schemes without becoming focused on him. Resisting the devil requires more than words. It means refusing to practice sin and confronting the sin we've allow...

Sin is death on the installment plan. If we are going to be truly spiritual leaders, we have to deal with sin. We can't minimize the seriousness of sin or allow culture, or even the Church, to redefine what God has already defined. Spiritual leaders must be willing to address the problems sin is causing in people's lives. If we want to see abounding grace, we have to be willing to confro...

The book of Zechariah offers powerful instruction for leadership and personal growth. It challenges us as spiritual leaders to ask some important questions. Am I truly walking out what God has called me to do? Am I taking responsibility or just doing enough to get by? Am I empowering those around me? And am I stewarding well the sacred trust of having access to people's lives? These are quest...

The mission is always bigger than you. When the enemy comes after you, he’s really coming after the mission God has called you to. One of his greatest tactics is accusation, attempting to derail you from what God wants to accomplish. Staying focused on the mission requires spiritual leadership that can carry the vision and keep moving forward despite opposition.

Moving forward in vision requires intentionality. This checklist for going forward gives us 11 practical steps to help us do just that. Reposition yourself, clarify the what without getting caught up in the how, and ascribe value to the vision. Choose which pain points to respond to, determine what sacrifices need to be made, and leave behind the things that hold you back. Don't become numb t...

People with vision are willing to expend some things—time, money, and effort—to accomplish that vision. People with vision grow in their emotional capacity. People with vision hold tight; they hang on and press forward. People with vision forget what is behind. People with vision stay focused on completing the call of God on their lives.

The way you go forward is vision. That’s why vision is such a critical part of our lives. Often, the beginning of vision is simply God initiating something to get our attention.

What moves us from where we are to where we need to be? Often, it’s pain or vision. Pain can be a good motivator, but it’s a bad master. Vision moves us from the inside and gives us something to move toward. And when vision is real, it doesn’t remain an idea; it turns into a plan.

Recorded in Ukraine, Pastor Tim Quintrell sits down with Mike Crane of Cornerstone Church in Amite, Louisiana, to reflect on his time serving with the team. They went to pour out and love the people of Ukraine, but along the way, God poured into them. Mike shares a moment when the Lord spoke clearly to him: “I brought you here to show you My glory.”

Recorded from Ukraine, guest hosts Pastors Tim and Dawn Quintrell share from their time serving alongside the team. On her first trip, Dawn discovered that sometimes you don’t need all the answers; you simply need to take the next step and show up with love. She shares what the Lord taught her about loving people well, including a beautiful story of how God used an anniversary ring to remind one w...

Sometimes we have an idea without a vision, or a vision without the ideas to move it forward. Good ideas should turn into vision, good vision should produce ideas, and both should lead to strategy. Today, we’re back in the archives for the final episode in this series on vision. Vision ownership starts with being saturated in the vision yourself so you can lead others toward it.

Integration causes all of our resources to cooperate, compensate, and complement one another. Today, we’re pulling a series from the archives. Scripture describes the Church as a body with many parts. When those parts work together, there is health; when they don’t, there is dis-ease. Vision integration is vital to bringing all the parts together to function as one.

Vision’s measurement is your core value. Today, we’re pulling a series from the archives. The clearer, more obvious, and easier your vision is to grasp, the better chance you have of seeing it come to pass. It’s easier to increase vision as you go than to get down the road and realize you need to shrink it.

Needs will always be part of leadership, but they shouldn't be in the driver's seat. Today, we're back in the archives with another episode from Getting Better. Too often, ministry teams spend 80% of their effort meeting immediate needs instead of moving the vision forward. But when leaders begin to shift that balance, they develop more leaders, advance the vision, and ultimately me...

Leaders set goals by defining where they want to go. Today, we're back in the archives with another episode from Getting Better. Goals aren't just about productivity; they're about clarity of direction. When the destination is clear, you're far more likely to persevere through the challenges along the way and ultimately reach the destination.

Are we leading people or just ministering to people? Today, we're back in the archives with another episode from Getting Better. Ministering to people means helping them become whole and self-governed, and that is a key part of discipleship. But too often, ministry leaders spend 75% of their time doing ministry instead of leading. As a result, they have fewer leaders and more needs. Even if p...

Is there anyone in your life who will require your best? Today, we're back in the archives with another episode from Getting Better . Often, we look for people who can help us do a certain thing rather than someone who can help us become a certain kind of person. Having someone in your life who challenges you to become better will, in turn, help you do better. Who have you given permission to...

You don’t win by simply showing up, and you don’t have a great game without great practice. Today, we’re pulling Getting Better from the archives. So how do you get better? You change the way you prepare and the way you practice. Practice develops both attitude and aptitude. If you don’t have a desire to get better, you’ll have a bad attitude toward practicing. As we practice, our aptitude increas...

Today, we conclude our archived series, Responding to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals the things God has prepared for those who love Him. One of the marks of a Spirit-filled life is that the love of God flows in us and through us. The Holy Spirit also works to bring order and clarity to our hearts, removing confusion and helping us see things from God’s perspective. He brings clarity, not...

Today, we continue our archived series, Responding to the Holy Spirit. There are times in life when what we feel doesn’t line up with the Truth. We are the stewards of our feelings, and we must choose what we will believe: our feelings or God’s Truth. As followers of Christ, we are called to be led by what we believe, not by what we feel, and to yield ourselves to the leadership of the Holy Spirit...

Today, we’re pulling Responding to the Holy Spirit, Part 1 from the archives. Just as we have passions for the world or our flesh to have its own way, the Holy Spirit who dwells within us has a holy passion to have His way in our lives. The Holy Spirit is jealous for our attention. As we humble ourselves and allow Him to reign in us, we find victory over our own desires and our passion for having...

Today, we’re pulling Reaching the Next Generation, Part 2 from the archives. The Church misses something vital when it overlooks the “dew” of youth that God has given to bring refreshment and life. Too often, we wait for young people to mature instead of helping them mature. Rather than counting them out until they are older, we can give them opportunities right where they are and walk alongside t...

Today, we’re pulling one from the archives: Reaching the Next Generation, Part 1. Each of us plays a unique role in the lives of the next generation. Brothers and sisters connect and understand. Fathers and mothers teach, guide, and help prepare them for what’s ahead. Grandfathers and grandmothers bring affirmation, encouragement, and perspective. Every role matters as we invest in those coming be...

The command to be thankful and give thanks is overwhelmingly one of the most repeated commands in Scripture. Thankfulness is an exercise of the will that helps us see life more from God’s perspective. It becomes an antidote to bitterness, and the more we practice it, the more we strengthen and develop that seed of thankfulness in our lives.

As followers of Jesus, there should be fruit in our lives. Those who follow Jesus should be hearing from God, and those who hear from God should be following Jesus. Servants are followers, and followers are servants. Serving is not passive or waiting for an invitation to obey God. Serving is proactive.