The intensity around racial injustice increased as the summer continued. Just as I had never been on offense around topics of race, I had never been on defense either. Every person we hired who was not a person of color was met with disappointment and questions. Why do we keep hiring white people? Why is our candidate pool all white people? Why aren’t capable leaders of color applying for our roles?

As is true with schools, corporations, small businesses, government agencies, non-profits and all human-led entities -- some of them are led by people who are self-serving and corrupt. The church is not excluded. A few scandals and suddenly we think every megachurch pastor is committing fraud or abuse, or at a minimum putting their own interests above that of their church.

It's 2025. The world is shifting. We are facing changes all around us: politics, technology, climate, artificial intelligence, family dynamics, and more. As leaders, while holding tight to our core convictions, we must never stop changing and growing and learning. Every day we wake up, the world changed over night. We won't get the same results tomorrow doing the same thing we did yesterday.

The role of Senior Pastor is a really hard job. Do you want to make it a bit easier? If I could sit down with your pastor and ask, “What do you need from the men and women on your team?" -- I’m fairly confident I know what they would say.

Here are 11 things your pastor needs you to be…

When the budget needs to be cut, often we zero out the learning and development for our staff before anything else. Here is the problem. If your leaders are empty, if they are void of ideas, if they are uninspired or unmotivated or isolated or just exhausted -- then you aren't going to be able to move your mission forward.

Last month I was on a flight to Seattle. I boarded early and made my way to seat 7F to settle in for the nearly four hour flight. Everyone was on board and in their seats when a flight attendant approached me and said, "Excuse me Mr. Stevens, the pilots would like to speak with you."

That was a first…

I've long been a believer in pastors having side hustles well before I knew that's what they were called. The term "side hustle" has a long history that has changed over time but has emerged in the age of the internet and Uber and Etsy with a new meaning.

A side hustle, as defined by Entrepreneur.com, is "any type of employment undertaken in addition to one's full-time job. These are often freelance or piecework in nature, providing a supplemental income." 

My worth, sometimes without thinking about it, can be wrapped up in what I do. Or how I’m perceived. Is this true for you? When that identity goes away, whether by choice or not, you can lose your balance in life. Identity will change several times over your life. When it changes, you will find out how much it mattered to you.

Every day on the news channels, we are told that the world is about to end if fill-in-the-blank gets elected as our next president. We are told the "other" party hates America. We are told what to think, how to think, what so-and-so meant when they said certain triggering words. We are told what to watch out for among our neighbors and communities and churches. We are taught that anyone who doesn't agree with us should not be trusted and is a socialist or a right-wing nut job. 

It isn’t just “the internet” that diminishes and bullies and demeans others. Sometimes it is you. And me. And we do it without thinking. And it has consequences. We don’t just debate ideas. We crush the people who have views that don’t line up with ours. We establish our position, we “hang out” with people like us, and then we attack those who disagree. It is “us” versus “them” – and we find energy in establishing our position and destroying the people on the other side.

James Forrest is an attorney with Michael Best, and his specialty is working with churches and faith-based ministries. I interviewed him recently and was impressed by his story, his walk with Jesus, and the wisdom, skill and insight he and his team are bringing to more than 300 churches around the country.

If you want to have an impact well into your 60's and 70's and 80's -- there is only one way to do this. Get around young leaders and pour yourself into them. Learn from them, acknowledge them, cheer them on, be available to them, ask them great questions, believe in them, support them, honor them, make room for them, open doors for them. That is how you leave a legacy.

Leaders who don’t have control of their calendars will constantly feel out of control. Life will seem frantic and harried, yet it will be difficult to pinpoint what they are actually getting done. You will watch this person bounce around from one thing to another, always busy, yet often late and missing really important priorities. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about generosity recently. Maybe it’s because I’m so aware of the impact generous leaders have had in my own life. I’m not talking only about those who are generous with their money. Or even only about those generous with their time. I’m talking about a person who has a generous spirit. A non-selfish spirit may be another way to say it.

There is only one reason after working at Vanderbloemen for six years that I still recommend others to use their service—they are the best thought-leaders I know of around staffing issues in organizations. I recently had a chance to interview William Vanderbloemen, the founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen Search Group, and the author of the new book Be The Unicorn: 12 Data Driven Habits That Separate the Best Leaders From the Rest.

I love a good book, especially the rare book that captures my attention all the way to the end. In this article, I've curated a list of my favorite leadership books that have profoundly impacted my professional journey. 

After 31 years of parenting, we are finally empty-nesters. It's hard to believe, but we no longer have any "children" living in our home. As we transition into this new phase, a mix of emotions accompanies us – excitement for the newfound freedom, nostalgia for the vibrant, noisy household days, and even a bit of relief that we've made it this far.

I’ve worked with hundreds of church leaders around north America. I’ve met with leaders of churches in decline, and leaders of churches that have grown into the thousands in just a few short years. One thing I’ve noticed—the best leaders continually decide to give up stuff they love in order to release the church for growth. It’s not a “once and for all” decision. You have to decide this again and again, week after week, year after year.

You've all met the fool. They may be fun to work with at times, but ultimately they suck the life out of the team because of the way they respond to feedback. When a fool runs an organization, people just stop trying to offer feedback, as they know it's futile. 

What follows is a letter I wrote in June 2012 to some close friends. We were vacationing with my parents, brother, sister and their families in northern Michigan. I haven't shared this with anyone else until now. I'm posting it here to help during ALS Awareness Month. For context, my brother-in-law, Patrick McGoldrick, had been diagnosed with ALS about 8-months previous to this family vacation. My prayers are with anyone facing this horrible disease in their family.