Tim King Leadership

It is that time of year again when many Christian Leaders and Pastors start to get stressed and rushed off their feet. Christmas Programmes are being launched. The nativity set has been repainted but is not fully dry, The donkey has gone lame and you have a rooster instead of a lamb. The church roof has sprung a leak and the Kids church leader has informed you that Joseph and Mary have come down with the chicken pox. Your wife has phoned to remind you not miss your youngest child's recital at the local school, to be honest you had forgotten. To top it all you haven't finished your Christmas morning sermon and are tempted to rehash a sermon from 5 years ago, hoping that it will get great reviews and that Mrs Jones who is 87 and never missed a service in fifty years, will not notice,-she will. A hundred other things need to be done and time is running out. But take a moment just to pause, breathe and think about the Christmas story and what you need to do during this s...

Someone once said that the greatest act of stupidity is to do the same thing over and over again getting the same result but hoping for a different one. Over the last few years this has been my problem, I have been stupid. I often tell Pastors and Christian Leaders to think outside the box but have not done so myself. I have tried to do the same thing over and over again, knowing what I am saying and offering is right and relevant but just not getting the results I am looking for.   It all started just over a year ago, I had a trip to Malaysia where I taught a master class on Emotional Intelligence. It was a fantastic trip and I enjoyed doing what I was doing, it was as though it was meant to be. This was my calling, or was it?  On my return to the UK I began to hit the same barriers of resistance with Pastors and Christian Leaders that I had experienced over the last 7 years. Who are you? What denomination do you belong to? What makes you think that you can tell me...

Christian Leaders going back is not an option. Do you as a Christian leader ever get annoyed? I know I do, I am human, if you ask anyone who knows me they will tell you that at times I am hard to get on with. But no one challenges my commitment to see Christian Leaders be the very best that they can be and for them to be successful. Dealing with people can be both exhilarating and frustrating but one thing that really frustrates me is when, leaders of churches decide to go backwards instead of forward. When they feel that going back to a particular way of doing things or going back to a particular program, that didn't work very well is in their mind, the only way forward. One church and church leadership I know have done just this, gone backwards, not in size or commitment, but in the way they do things. I can't help thinking that the issue is not the church, or for that matter the leaders themselves, but in the way the world has changed, the way their community has...

Is your church a sect? This question was put to me by a non-Christian colleague not so long ago and was only reminded of it when we met for coffee a few days ago. I think what he was asking was, are we a cult? But this got me thinking of what exactly is a sect, and is it a bad thing or a good thing? Most Christian churches belong to a grouping of like minded churches often known as a denomination. There is a set tenant of faith and an agreed formula of beliefs. Often the order of service is the same in every church within the grouping with only minor differences. For the most part the leaders and Pastors within the denomination have a loose but coherent relationship. A sect is created when one of the churches within the particular grouping does things that are radically different. This is usually in the area of presentation, not in beliefs or faith. The sect remains within the grouping as a means of credentialing and national recognition. So what makes a sect a sect? This, in m...

Information is control, or is it? In today's world information overload is common among churches. Tweets, web sites, emails, newsletters and Sunday morning announcements are rolled out with repetitive regularity. This is not always a good thing, people don't need to know everything but they do need to know that their Christian Leaders are taking them in the right direction. However it is also felt that Christian leaders should know most things and be in control of everything. This too is a dangerous thing. But, is there something to this myth? In today's society, leaders need to have a healthy appetite for information. Information gathering about what is going on in each of their church departments is vital for giving the senior leader an overall picture of their church. This information is always passed upwards and in return the control and direction is passed downwards. It is true a fter all that information is control, the more information the more in contro...

What do you consider the main pastoral and spiritual health needs of church leaders? I was asked this question this week after the tragic suicide of a young pastor and family man in California. The feelings of loneliness amongst other things had completely over whelmed him. The answers may vary depending on the specific person. The needs of a young church leader could be very different from those of an older more experienced church leader. However in my experience from talking too pastors and leaders from different church backgrounds there are some commonalities. From a pastoral point of view the following could be considered among the most urgent to address; a) Isolationism, the feeling of being alone and not having anyone to talk too despite denominational allegiances. To bridge the gap between fraternal 's and conferences there is a   need for directed and issue focused away-days, this to help the leader feel that they are not alone and to build closer rela...

Setting clear goals and direction. Should Christian Leaders have a game plan, should they have clear goals and direction? Sadly this is not always the case, yet it still amazes me how many people think that Christian leaders should have these things. It may be true that they all have a plan and that they all have goals and direction but it doesn't always mean that they are leaders and can successfully see their game plan through to the end. If Christian leaders struggle to set clear goals and give precise direction then they will struggle to lead. The football (soccer to my US friends) world cup has recently finished and France was declared winners. One of the things that struck me and reinforced my dislike of the game was the way that some of the teams played. For example one South American team when losing resorted to such theatrics when tackled (sometimes they were never touched) that people, commentators and the print media were appalled at the antics and the players ...

The Myth that Advancement and Self Esteem Are Related This last week I have been spending time listening to the heart of a young pastor. His heart's desire is to serve God by planting churches and making a significant impact for God in the community he wishes to influence and serve. However his problem is that he has been asked to consider taking over another church, this church has no pastor or leader at this present time. My young friend wanted council and advice. In the denomination he is a part of the way a young person advances is; to be actively involved in his local church, do some theological training (get a degree), become ordained and then take a church that is offered to you. If you succeed at that church (whatever that looks like), after a few years you are offered a more substantial church. All very commendable, if not a bit predictable. The only problem is that it leaves out heart and ministry and perhaps to some extent the calling of God on their young l...

All Christian Leaders are decisive. Why is this a myth? Why is it that all Christian Leaders are not decisive, when they should be? The simple reason is that congregations expect their leaders to be decisive, it indicates being in control. That those who lead us know what they are talking about. A Christian Leader being decisive creates an atmosphere of clarity and focus for those that follow. However the myth becomes apparent when we mix decisiveness up with indecision. Most Christian leaders would consider themselves to be decisive, because in reality they would consider that only they have the right answers. The problem isn't that they are indecisive the problem is that often they lack the ability to make a decision or even make the right decision.   In essence, in order for Christian Leaders to be great decisive leaders, they have to learn to be great decision makers first. Decisiveness doesn't mean making all the decisions all of the time, this is just b...

  Working on Murphy's Law. (Apologise to anyone called Murphy.) Christian Leaders like to portray themselves in total control, nothing knocks them over. In church at a Sunday service, they stand head and shoulders above everybody and everything happening around them. Issues that trouble us mere mortals wash over and off them like the proverbial duck. Sometimes they give the impression that they are succeeding in everything they do; unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth. To be in control often means that at some point you had to be in a situation where you weren't in control. By its very definition the Christian Leadership journey means that at some point something did go wrong, situations occurred that stretched the leader and caused them to question faith and creed and leadership and even church. If they hadn't they would never have come out the other side a better leader or pastor. A crisis can either make you or break you. Even fail...

How much am I worth? I am often asked this question by young pastors and leaders and even some of the smaller denominations. What value do we place on those that serve us in the spiritual arena? Should pay reflect the size of the church or on the work being done in the community? What other ways are there to remunerate our Christian Leaders? To be honest I try to avoid these sorts of conversations because money like many things is a very emotive issue. However, let me try and dangle my toe into the water of financial reward within church organisations. I hope that I won't get too ravaged by the sharks that patrol the sacred aisles of our most holy places. When it comes to reward, we seem to have no problem with the vast sums of money that celebrities make. Nor for that matter do we appear to have a problem with annual salaries of footballers (soccer players). Some young new players can make up to £5 plus million a year or £10 thousand a week. The top players can make £400 tho...

I hope this weeks rumination communicates well! I have written on a number of occasions on this question and it still amazes me how many Christian leaders consider themselves to be great communicators, I count myself among the great. However in reality, this is not always the case. Just because a Christian Leader may be a fantastic preacher, who can hold congregations hanging on every word, does not mean that in everyday life that Christian leader communicates well. It is this 'split personality', as it were, that I want to deal with. Preaching is one thing, life in a church organisation is very much another. Communication flows out of who we are, that EQ thing I am always talking about. Very often Preachers are well trained orators but in real life they have difficulty in expressing what they want and how they see their vision being implemented and worked out. In the 21st century, communication has been limited for the most part by social media and various...

The rumination of the week. This question was put to me a few weeks ago by a friend and clinical psychologist. I profess no expertise in this area and have left it till now to blog and ruminate on it. The immediate thing that comes to my mind, when someone mentions psychopath, is serial killer! All the bad, amoral and violent sins rolled into one individual. However there is a body of academics that feel, that this neurological condition can result in there being good psychopaths walking among us. This neurological condition affects 1% of the adult male population. A survey conducted by Forbes listed the top ten professions that you will more likely than not find psychopaths. Number 1 was CEO's (who wants to build a tower.) 2, Lawyers (no surprise there and many go into politics which also explains it) 3, Media TV/Radio personalities. 4, Salespeople (Those dreaded double glazing and solar heating people that hunt down and prey on old age pensioners.) 5,Surgeons (Thi...

IQ, EQ or PQ. Late last year I had the privilege of lecturing on Emotional intelligence to a group of highly gifted students, in Malaysia, many of them far more clever than I. Over the week it became apparent that one of the students just wasn't getting it.   When interacting with him, he confided in me that he just didn't understand how EQ was going to help him with his particular ministry, dealing with a number of young pastors. "I just don't know how EQ will help me with this" He kept telling me. My telling him to look to his own character, nature, life experience and how he deals with others for the answer just wasn't good enough. I realised that what this man wanted was a scientific formula or process that would help him sort his problem out. The man was a professional having been university trained. Systems, projects, structures and highly complex issues were no problem to him, he was a highly intelligent person. IQ wasn't the issue. His i...

Sunday morning Chaos. "What should a Sunday morning service look like?" This question was thrown at me over a lunch after my first visit to a church, this last weekend. "Unfair question" I cried, "I am no longer in pastoral ministry." My friend persisted so I presented two scenarios, the latter being my experience that morning. Should a church service look like?; Seats or Pews facing forward, starting on time, four songs and no more, news and updates and a twenty five minute well presented and structured sermon. Close in prayer and invite to coffee. Or Seats in a semi circle, starting   five minutes' late, arbitrary testimonies, meandering news updates, four songs and people wandering around praying for anybody they feel is in need of prayer. A hastily prepared sermon, more an informal chat then anything solid or sound. Confusion as to do with the children, a prayer and offer of coffee. Firstly let me say that I found nothing offe...

Is Gender Equality really a problem in the body of Christ? Gender Equality is a hot topic at the moment from Hollywood to Westminster, people are talking about the disadvantages that women face in their jobs and careers. Should women be paid the same as men for doing the same job? For me I have no issue here the answer is, of course they should. What about the church is there gender inequality in the church? Last week I came across a job advertisement for a pastoral position. In the advert there was a link to their statement of beliefs, there I found the following "...we do not believe that a woman can be an elder in the church or in a position of authority over a man..." In my mind I found this a little old fashioned and outdated but understood where this particular faith group was coming from, having been brought up under a similar regime. I think they are wrong and here is why. Early Christianity elevated the status of women to equality before God. Women'...

Jesus or the Easter Bunny. I love this time of year. In the northern hemisphere it's spring time, the trees and shrubs are beginning to bud and winter, despite its grandest efforts, is on its way out, at last. But this is also Easter time, the time we love to once again over indulge on sweet things. Now, instead of a short fat man with a white beard and red suit, we have a cuddly bunny delivering the goods, in the form of chocolate Easter eggs. Despite our efforts to curtail the intake of sugar and chocolate for our children, we as a nation spend millions on the stuff just to see our children bounce off walls, happy with their sugar rush. No Television or radio ad mentions the real reason for this time of year. In our efforts to consume our chocolate stash before our children find it, we forget the story that began this festival of cuddly bunnies and egg laying rabbits. For me at this time of year, as I see nature bringing about new life and rebirth after a long ...

Leading through motivation and trust. Last time I talked about two of the four things that I look for when following a Christian Leader. Today I want to look at the final two; motivation and trust. These things are not to cast doubt and portray the negative but to help look at ways of doing Christian Leadership better. When serving another leader do I feel motivated to do so? Is the Christian Leader that I follow excited about what they do so much so that they get me excited about it too? The great news is that 7 out of ten Church leaders consider themselves to be great motivators. The bad news- and here is the disconnect that I mentioned last time, is that only 3 out of ten who follower, believe that to be true. Motivation works in theory but is much harder to achieve in practice. In churches most of those we need to motivate are volunteers. Christian leaders rely on teams of volunteers to make things happen in church. In order to keep the high level of   motivation nee...

Christian Leadership disconnects. When I look to a Christian Leader to be my covering, I look for four things; are they biblical and scripturally sound? Do they have a vision? Are they good motivators? And lastly, can I trust them? On the face of it you may see, these things are obvious and self evident. I am not so sure though, sometimes I find a disconnect that is not always so obvious. Don't get me wrong, I want to sit under a great leader no matter what size their church. I want to know I am being taught sound doctrine and biblical and scriptural principles. I want to follow a great vision that is full of direction, purpose and passion. I want to be motivated not just by words but action and deeds. I also want to be able to say that the person I serve, I trust. As Christian leaders we have to accept that the world we live in is becoming more and more complex. We deal with issues that our New Testament counterparts say little, if anything about.   It is no longer g...

Christian Leadership is contextual. A short while ago I received an email from an old friend in New Zealand. In the email he was bemoaning the fact that we had been talking about leadership in churches for over a decade, yet leadership had made very little difference. He felt that perhaps we needed another model or better still get back to good old pastoring, where the pastor looks after one church for a lifetime. I have written before on how I love looking at the Christian job websites and look at those jobs that are advertising for pastoral positions. When the recruitment committees of churches are looking for a new pastor, the last thing they are looking for is a leader. They are looking for someone who can solve a problem or be an expert in a particular area of ministry.             The one thing that all Christian Leaders have in common is that they breathe, all the rest is just contextual, one size does not fit all....

Christian Leadership is the same across every culture. I have not long been back from a highly successful trip to Malaysia. I had the privilege of lecturing too top pastors and Christian leaders at a master class. These men and women are doing great things for the cause of Christ and their churches are meeting many needs in their respective communities. I met with Malay, Chinese and Thai leaders, spoke with them on a daily basis, and preached in a few churches. The one overwhelming impression I came away with, was that the concept of Christian leadership is very different within these cultures. While western culture and western Christian leadership processes are evident in some churches, these are primarily attended by young people- who are attracted to the music and youth image. The vast majority of churches are made up of a good mix of youth and families and older people, in other words the churches are a good reflection of family and society. There are many great Christ...

The Myth of Title and Position in Church. Just because you have the title pastor, doesn't necessarily make you a good leader or even a leader for that matter. Leadership is about performance not position. Like all other organisations the church is prone to hierarchies, sometimes the larger the church gets the more structure is put in place to support it, with the senior pastor at the top. I was invited to sit at a friend’s table during a ministerial lunch and not knowing anybody I gladly accepted. During lunch a rather large gentleman at the head of the table was propounding some point of 'pastoral theology' and then looked around the table for a response. The lady sitting to his right answered, “I think Pastor Fred is right on this point.” She then went on to say why she agreed. The Big guy, Pastor Fred beamed and said, “Thank you pastor Wilma.” He then went on to his next point. For most of the meal the talking was done by Pastor Fred and Pastor Wilma. Whenev...