Barnabas File

The title of Supreme Commander is rather intimidating, but it is one that was used to define an American from the small town of Abilene, Kansas, who became the most influential military figure of World War Two.  Dwight Eisenhower did not seek out the title, but he defined it by his leadership, intelligence, wisdom, and diplomatic skills. In The Supreme Commander: The War Years of Dwight D. Eisenhower , historian Stephen E. Ambrose gives a clear and concise account of the war years of General Eisenhower, from the time that he was sent to Europe by Chief of Staff George Marshall until the victory over Nazi Germany. Ambrose’s account gave me a new appreciation for Eisenhower’s leadership in four areas. First, I always knew that Eisenhower was a gifted logistician, but Ambrose helps the reader to see how essential to victory was the provision of not only men and equipment, but maintenance and supply lines.  An army can only perform effectively if ...

If you had a choice between helping your current pastor stay on and continue to grow in her or his capabilities as a leader or for your church to go through a lengthy search process, which would you choose?  I think most of us would choose the former.  The departure of a pastor usually entails a period of grief, seeking an interim, going through some congregational self-assessment, putting together a search committee, vetting candidates, selecting a person and then getting that person on the field.  It is a trying process and an expensive one.  I have never seen a church grow during an interim period. One way to keep your pastor and help him or her become more effective is to employ a professional coach to work with your leader.  This is an investment that will benefit both the pastor and the congregation.  Coaches can help a pastor in a number of ways. First, the coach can be a safe sounding board as the pastor exercises leadership ...

In some recent coach training events, the participants have pushed me on the difference between coaching and consulting. Are the lines of demarcation as hard as I seem to make them?   In Disciple Development Coaching , Mark Tidsworth and I define the foci of these two people development practices in this way: Consulting deals with “problem solving, action plans, specific problems.” Coaching is “developing people through learning by doing, partnering between self-discovery and sustainable action.” Consultants are generally seen as persons with expertise in a particular area of content whereas coaches are process experts who work in many different contexts.  A coach does not have to know about education to coach an educator or be an expert in the law to coach a lawyer. Coaches are hired to promote clarity rather than inform their clients.  Consultants are generally seen as resource people and teachers. Even with these definitions, I ...