Category Archives: church leadership

Christianity Without Discipleship

“Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer A number of years ago, I was asked by a good friend: “Why do so many Christians make such lousy human beings?” She shared how she had grown tired of the judgmentalism, the defensiveness, the superficiality, and the lack of self-awareness of many in church. To address our great problem of a “Christianity without discipleship,” as Bonhoeffer has called it, we have committed ourselves at EHS to equip the church in a discipleship strategy that deeply changes people for the sake of long-term mission. Our work with churches over these years has confirmed how countercultural and radical this is in our world today. Last month, we offered our first Live Stream training event on “How to Lead the EHS Course.” The day far exceeded our expectations in helping Point Leaders/Pastors bring the EHS Course to their churches. Our largest surprise was how effectively the. Read more.

Handing Over Power

I have had multiple conversations these past few weeks with pastors and leaders about the importance of healthy transitions, particularly as it relates to succession. Why? I am passionate about Jesus and the proclamation of His glory to the next generation. Over the decades I have repeatedly seen the destructive consequences of leaders who hand over power poorly. Andy Crouch says it best: “It is hard to think of many things that do more damage to an organization than leaders who have no plan for how they will hand over power…When leaders do not actively plan for the end of their power, and when we who are led by them allow them to indulge in fantasies of unending influence, they are idols, no matter how well disguised” (Strong and Weak, IVP 2016). I describe my own 4½-year interior succession process in the final 17 pages of The Emotionally Healthy Leader. Almost three years have. Read more.

The Leader’s Spouse: An EH Leader Podcast

Being a leader’s spouse is one of the most challenging roles a person can face in life – especially in the church. For this reason, we dedicated this podcast to talk with Geri about the hard lessons she has learned over the last 30 years in this area. In this podcast, you’ll hear Geri’s response to a number of questions such as: If the young spouse of a pastor came to you and asked, “Tell me one thing you wish you knew before you got started,” what might that be? How did you manage the pressure of people and their expectations? Why are concepts like differentiation and enmeshment so important if one is going to thrive as a leader’s spouse? Click below to watch the video or the link to listen to the audio file. Enjoy! LISTEN HERE – Pete @petescazzero

Summer Spirituality

The Bible teaches there is a time and a season for “everything under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1). God has built this into the very fabric of nature’s seasons as we observe the cycle of death and newness every winter and summer. Our churches experience seasons. And so do we. I have violated God’s seasons in my leadership more times than I want to remember. Over the years, however, I have discerned a summer spirituality, or rhythm, that can be summarized in three words. Receive. Summers are a time to do less and to be more. Providing leadership in God’s church is demanding. Our soil needs to be replenished. In summer, I read broadly (e.g. novels) and play more. Geri is taking an online course in spiritual direction in July and August. I am traveling to Philadelphia to visit with a long-term mentor. We are also attending a 2-day marriage conference integrating neuroscience and relationships. How. Read more.

2016 EH Leadership Conference Now Available on Video

Our annual Emotionally Healthy Leadership Conference is the most comprehensive immersion experience we offer for pastors and leaders who want to implement EHS into their churches. I believe this past year, in particular, was our best to date. To keep this conference at the highest possible quality, we limit the number of participants to 350 people. (Many others, of course, participate via Live Streaming.) Yet thanks to modern technology, we can now make available the entire 2016 Conference to any person in the world who has access to a computer! So for the next 7 days, the 2016 EH Leadership Conference is available on digital download for $49.99. That is 50% off the regular $99.99 price. This 2016 EHL Conference download pack includes: All 8 EHL Conference Sessions Jesus’ Upside Down Spirituality Leadership that Goes Back to Go Forward Differentiation Applied: Climb the Ladder of Integrity Developing Mature Organizational Culture and Teams Slowing Down. Read more.

You Know You are a Perfectionist When…

Pursuing excellence in our leadership is a good thing. Perfectionism is not. Perfectionism, that refusal to accept a standard short of perfection, is the shadow side of excellence – undermining the best of who we are, limiting our ability to love, and damaging our leadership of others. How do I know? I know perfectionism so well in myself. Part of what makes us human is our imperfections and mistakes. Only God is perfect. At times I wonder if the church, in our desire to reach the world for Jesus, has hired a Pharaoh of perfectionism to help us. Sadly, many of us don’t need an external slave driver. We carry our own internal Pharaoh who drives us not to accept flaws and blemishes in our performance. The following are my top 10 signs that God uses to stop me when I fall into the sin of perfectionism: I am anxious – a lot. I. Read more.

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