Leadership | Meredith Griffin

8 Lessons Church Planting Has Taught Me – Part I

I have learned a lot since January 2007 when Harvest Christian Fellowship began as a church plant. The truth is I never thought that I would be a church planter. I never sought to be a church planter. I never contemplated what being a church planter entailed or would be like until 2006. In spite of all of that, the undeniable truth is that being a church planter has taught me a lot about life, myself, leadership, faith, and people. There have been more surprises than I would have ever imagined, and I believe the lessons deserve to be shared with everyone. [Read more…] about 8 Lessons Church Planting Has Taught Me – Part I

Nature or Nature: Are Leaders Born or Made?

Leadership

Which comes first…the chicken or the egg? This is one of the first riddles that many of us learned. There is a similar question that has puzzling humanity for millennia. Are leaders born or are they made? The nature or nurture debate over leadership has been occurring for ages. Most people fall into one camp or the other. The people who believe that leaders are born view leadership as a gift given by God, and Romans 12:8 is used as evidence. For them you are either born or endowed with the gift of leadership or you are not. Those that believe that leaders are made believe that leadership is a skill that can be taught, a learned behavior vital to organizational success. I believe that there is a third option that is rarely explored. [Read more…] about Nature or Nature: Are Leaders Born or Made?

One Thing Guaranteed to Increase Your Success Rate

Leadership, Life, Productivity

The one thing that I believe all pastors and ministry leaders have in common is the desire to be effective in both life and ministry. Whenever I have an opportunity to talk to pastors, ministry leaders, or potential church planters, I share that I have discovered one thing that can increase their rate of success in these areas. There is a widely discussed, but underutilized thing that can immediately benefit every pastor, parishioner, parent, and leader. [Read more…] about One Thing Guaranteed to Increase Your Success Rate

3 Ways to Prevent Becoming Stranded as a Ministry Leader

Leadership

We’ve all seen it, a motorist stranded on the side of the road or a car abandoned on the highway with a white cloth dangling from the windshield. Someone has been stranded. Their vehicle has malfunctioned and left them stranded somewhere between where they began and their ultimate destination. Inevitably we wonder what became of them, did they make it safely to help? Inevitably, we whisper a word of thanks that it was not us as we motor toward our destination. A similar scene plays out daily in the lives of pastors and leaders of ministries.

Enough of the Fake Relationships Among Leaders

Church, Leadership, Life

As a leader, do you have relationships that you would consider brutally honest? The kind of relationship where your friend can tell you the truth and where you can do the same? If you are like many contemporary leaders, especially in Christian ministry, the answer is probably no. The fact that many leaders don’t have these kinds of relationships is not only hurting them professionally and personally, but also hurting their families and the people they are called to lead.