Articles & Resources

Pastor-Wife Team Use DBD for Marriage Retreat Breakthroughs with 28 Couples

January 26, 2018
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Al and Lori Elmore have been married for more than three decades and describe themselves as “happily incompatible.” Their enthusiasm for healthy relationships is evident in the marriage classes and retreats they’ve led over the years, which took an exciting turn when they were introduced to the Different By Design (DBD) curriculum. The Elmores first…

A Healthy Team Plans Together

January 25, 2018
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One Multisite Church’s Story of Simplifying Communications Guest Post by Judy Stallwitz Our staff loves each other. We’re a healthy team that balances humility and willfulness. But just like maintaining a healthy diet or a healthy marriage, maintaining good team health requires attention to drift. “Drift” isn’t a mystical cloud that materializes. It can easily…

How to Find Your Fit: 3 Clues to Your Calling

November 9, 2017
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Guest Post By Gabe Kolstad One key skill separates effective leaders from ineffective ones: the ability to find their fit. According to the American Institute of Stress, “job-fit” is a leading factor in workplace satisfaction and performance. So it stands to reason that your leadership impact can multiply by making sure you’re doing the things…

Family: Martha Gets a Bad Rap

October 16, 2017
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Guest Post by Pam Taylor One reason we experience stress in our family and in relationships is our differences. God created each of us with different personality types and different spiritual gifts. We subconsciously expect people – even family members – to see things from the same perspective as we do. I see this problem…

Guest Post: The Truth About Culture and Strategy

September 13, 2017
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Why Ministries Need to Rethink a Common Mantra  By Dale Sellers There is a popular phrase often attributed to iconic management consultant Peter Drucker (1909-2005) that says, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” After careful research, I discovered that there is actually no evidence that Drucker ever made this statement. In fact, there is no evidence…

Position Insights: Know What You’re Looking for Before You Start Looking

August 16, 2017
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“A wrong hire was my responsibility and cost our ministry momentum as well as valuable dollars,” says senior leader Matt. “But part of the problem was that we didn’t define the strengths needed for the position before we started recruiting candidates.” Like so many of us, Matt and his team had been blindsided in the…

Guest Post: 5 Important Tips for Effective Church Staffing

August 15, 2017
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Guest post by Lacey Hauptman Hiring the right people is crucial to your church’s  success. They will be able to achieve the right goals and create a bigger impact, which will enable the church to run smoothly and efficiently while continuing to provide exemplary services to church members. Here are some critical church staffing tips…

Leadership: LFYS Unifies Church Team and Becomes Standard Operating Procedure

July 11, 2017
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“Fifty percent of my time is dedicated to leadership development,” says Steve Bush, who joined the staff of Real Life Christian Church (Clermont, FL) as administrative pastor after more than four decades in business. From his experience as a CEO, business development director, and manager in the agricultural supplies industry, Steve knew he needed a…