Sometimes, nothing seems to work. Many—perhaps most—church leaders have experienced this, though it’s often hard to admit. Here are some examples. You pray faithfully, but the breakthrough doesn’t come. You plan carefully, but momentum stalls. You preach your heart out, yet it feels like the words barely land. The harder you try to fix things, the heavier it all feels. I experienced all of these during my forty years in Christian ministry. They can quietly erode our confidence and leave us...

Allow me to begin with a poem by John Keats. To Autumn Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;...

Try googling the phrase, ‘leaders as gardeners.’ I did this last week, and my screen filled up with trillions of links. Quite a number...