Hollywood seldom portrays faith well. On one hand are glossy depictions of near-perfect characters who prosper if they pray hard, look right and win enough converts. On the other hand, Christianity is displayed as destructive and colonial. What happens to the stories in the middle, the ones that expose the harm of the church while showing…
Based on my experiences in Christian leadership over the past 30 years, I am confident that one of the clearest indicators of future organizational success is the qualitative experience you provide to currently serving or soon-to-depart leaders. If departing leaders are speaking well on the way out, your future looks bright! For example, in both…
Susan met me online for a leadership consultation. We spoke about the Christian charity she used to work for, one of my clients. “How are you doing now that you are done with your role as Director?” I asked. “How is life outside of the ministry? Enjoying yourself? What’s keeping you busy?” Susan glowed. The…
Growing up, I was somewhat sheltered from more extreme forms of purity culture. I dated, I showed my shoulders in public and, with extreme gratitude, I can say I never even knew about the bizarre world of purity balls. The extremes of American evangelical purity culture didn’t creep north of the border much, and even…
The first human temptation was about power; Adam and Eve thought they could be like God. Cain killed Abel because sin overpowered him. Even Jesus was tempted to use his power for his own selfish needs, to test God, and to succeed by the world’s ways. Jesus resisted the devil’s options for power, but most…
“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). The Canadian elections this past spring highlighted a general difference between Christian and other organizations and communities that is not often understood or addressed and that change leadership realities. In politics, you succeed by winning over people…
One of the overpasses along the Queen Elizabeth Way in southern Ontario is spray-painted with three short words: “They all lie.” Think about it: ‘They all lie.’ This anonymous graffiti-sociologist has captured the zeitgeist of our age profoundly. This epithet identifies a spirit that is fuelled by cynicism, suspicion, anger and even contempt. This spirit…
Content warning: This story contains a description of sexual abuse. Please take care when reading. January 7 was his final day as archbishop. Last November, as I pressed “send” on my email calling on him to resign, the news on my screen flashed – “Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, has resigned.” The spiritual leader of the…
The Anabaptist-affiliated Meeting House church pastored by Bruxy Cavey in Ontario has become a rise and fall saga and stands now at the point of closure – without full closure for its members.In June 2024 attendees were told by the Meeting House Transition Board of Overseers that even though TMH has changed leadership and implemented…
A few weeks ago, Peter Schuurman and I were invited to speak at an Inter-Classis Safe Church Conference in Waterloo, Ontario hosted by the Christian Reformed Church. Peter talked about his experience at The Meeting House. I decided to focus on a big-picture question: what would happen if it was easier for sexual abuse victims…
My home church has two pastors – one man, one woman. They’re not a married couple but two ordained ministers with different gifts and passions. I appreciate how they work together on sermon series, coming at a theme from multiple angles. I’m happy that kids in Hope Fellowship Christian Reformed Church (CRC) are hearing God’s…
Leadership. What comes to mind when you hear the word? If you are like most people in the western self-determinist part of the world, you think of a person, an individual. History and Scripture would not necessarily dissuade you. Lincoln, Churchill, Moses, King David. We immediately gravitate toward their successes. The individual is, for us,…
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