A serious pet peeve of mine are pastors that treat their job like a career. Not that I’m opposed to people that prepare well to serve God in a professional manner. I’m talking about those that see their current job in ministry as a stepping stone to something bigger and better for more money. And it isn’t the bigger or the better or even the money thing that drives me crazy – it is the fact that some pastors treat their job like a job.

You just make different decisions when you are thinking about the next assignment. You only want to do things that look good on a resume. You don’t rock the boat, make the hard decisions or dig though the apple basket looking for the rotten one. You are happy leaving that to someone else. And if you are looking for a quick exit, you don’t want to screw too many things up for the next guy. So, you do the same broken things over and over.

After all, if you take some ownership and take some risks, the outcome may be hard to manage. Then you might be stuck trying to mop up a disaster of your own making. Then, when that prestigious job opens up you will be in no position to look like you deserve the bump.

Tom Ehich, in his article in the Winston-Salem Journal says that many pastors in the Lutheran tradition feel entitled to their next assignment, much like a tenured professor feels entitled to his/her job. He looks around and finds that churches with great growth are churches were the pastor is sold out to the ministry of that church – not because the church is doing well. No, the reason theses churches are growing at all is because of the dedication and free thinking involved in the pastor making that church a career.

I identify with that. How about you?

Popularity: 38% [?]

By Andy Stanley, Lane Jones, and Reggie Joiner, this book is a must read for anyone leading in a ministry. The fact is that it is so easy to chase after anything that may seem successful, and yet, never actually achieve institutional success. The seven practices actually focus our attention, treasure and resources on the tasks that get us closer to our overall goals. This book is an easy read and will change the way you view your ministry.

I am now working though the book for the second group of leaders. These concepts are easy to understand and unlock the keys to understanding the way forward in any ministry. They can also be used in any leadership position, not just in church.

The first practice is to “clarify the goal.” In most churches, each leader has defined his/her goals as what gets more butts in the seats. That will certainly lead to many different goals as well as a whole host of measuring sticks. So, while volunteers and paid staff are all working hard, if the church does not identify the win, no one knows what to work towards.

You will start with just one, but you will buy a dozen within two weeks and start handing them out to you key leaders. At least, that is what I did!

You can also listen to Andy’s podcast on the seven practices called Practically Speaking.

Popularity: 90% [?]

Ever which you could text all your students at once? You can! TextMarks.com is a free service. You can choose your own key words. Your students can text your key word to “41411″ to opt in. Then you can send out your reminders and updates anytime! Try it out!

Popularity: 54% [?]

Let’s face it: most church logos are lame. We just don’t have the cash to hire designers that will help shape our image in print and on the web. 99designs.com is a here to help!

is a place where designers compete to build your design. You give your specs for your design, say how much you will pay (and put that in escrow with the website). Designers from all over the world will upload designs for you to look over. You can comment on which ones you like and say how you wish for the design to be improved. When one meets with your approval, you get the design and the designer gets paid.

You can up up as little as $50 or $100, but the more you are willing to pay, the more designers will compete. $300 or more will get as many as 100 designers working on your project! If you like the artist, you can have him/her do more work creating your website or business cards.

Popularity: 100% [?]