Barnabas File

I receive a daily e-mai l from   Christian History  magazine citing significant historical events from that particular date.     The magazine is part of the Christianity Today family, so you can expect a rather conservative bent to their material, but what they point out is usually very accurate.     I look at these each day and post (with some editing) on my Facebook page.     They often use the term “greatest” or “most influential” about a person, and I think those terms are always dependent on the larger context, so I usually take those out.       I am often surprised by the responses I receive on these posts. This was one of my posts last week:   May 8, 1845: The Southern Baptist Convention organizes in Augusta, Georgia, separating from the Triennial Convention in order to support the appointment of slaveholders as missionaries.   The post received 71 likes, 26 comments, and 37 shares.  Following the shares w...

Although mentoring has been practiced for generations on both informal and formal bases, the practice has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years as a means to encourage gender, racial, and socio-economic diversity in leadership of all types of organizations. In Bridging Differences for Better Mentoring , Lisa Z. Fain and Lois J. Zachary offer a three-part model for taking advantage of this process to develop leaders in contemporary settings:   Part One:  Learn Forward into Differences Part Two:  Learn from Differences Part Three:  Leverage Differences There are three key foundational ideas for this model.  First, differences can be leveraged to build successful mentoring relationships.  Second, mentoring takes intentional planning, hard work, and commitment to effective communication.  Third, the learning that comes from mentoring is a two-way street--it benefits the mentor as well as the protégé, providing le...

In her book  Leadership Revolution: The Future of Developing Dynamic Leaders , Lori Mazan takes a rather critical approach to mentoring.  She sees it as helpful but only when matched with coaching and of lesser value than coaching: “In a sense, mentoring can encourage looking back, emulating what was previously successful. Coaching is a methodology for looking out ahead and figuring out what's going to be successful next.” She goes on to say, “Mentoring just can't take the place of the kind of transformative development employees can get from coaching.”   Just for clarity, let’s define terms here.  In mentoring, someone (usually an experienced person in the field) shares their knowledge, skills, and experience with another person to help them to progress.  The person being mentored is identified by terms such as “mentee” or “protégé.”   Coaching is   a partnership between coach and client . They are “thought partners.”  Th...

Not matter what your field—ministry, business, not for profit, or education—you always want to be on the lookout for new ideas.  The question is, “Are innovative ideas more likely to come from established participants or from novices?”  According to professor  Amir Goldberg  at Stanford University, we should focus on the fringes for breakthrough ideas. In his research, Goldberg found that prescient thinking—the creation of novel ideas that prove productive-- was more likely to emerge from the fringes of a field. In business, prescient ideas were eight times more likely to emerge from the smallest companies than the largest.  “We’re not saying innovation always comes from the periphery, only that it’s more likely,” Goldberg notes. As investors and business leaders seek the next big idea, Goldberg says “Openness to outsiders and welcoming a diversity of voices is a good place to start.”    For churches and denominations, this means that we shou...

He asked her,   “Woman, why are you crying?   Who is it you are looking for?”   Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”   Jesus said to her,   “Mary.”    She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic,   “Rabboni!”   (which means “Teacher”). -- John 20:15-16, NIV   Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.    He called out to them,   “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”    “No,” they answered.   He said,   “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”   When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.  T hen the disciple whom Jesus loved   said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”  -- John 21:4-7a, NIV   John’s Gospel provides the reader with several post resurrection appearances of ...

Coaching in various forms is increasing, so it is getting more attention.  This means that change is at hand.  In a recent blog,  Edmée Schalkx  addressed “Trends in Coaching 2017-2022 ” and specifically noted what this means for users and coaches.   As one who believes both in the effectiveness of coaching and its usefulness in religious settings, I suggest what these changes in coaching means for those of us who work with churches.   First, faith communities will recognize that they need trained coaches.  Churches, judicatories, and other faith-based institutions will discover that coaching promotes retention, provides focus, and maximizes use of resources.  With less to work with, coaching will increase the impact of the work of faith-based organizations in all areas of ministry.   Second, seminaries will give more attention to teaching coaching skills and integrating coaching into the curriculum. Seminaries and church ...

In his newest book on leadership , Mark Miller challenges the reader to a choice: Will you be a common leader, accepting the “common wisdom” that informs that stance, or will you be an uncommon leader who realizes there is a better way?   Miller has written the book to serve leaders who believe they can make a difference in the world, who care about personal excellence, and who are energized by producing tangible results.  These attributes apply to all leaders, not matter where they serve in the organization.    The five fundamental movements that the author delineates are:   See the future. Engage and develop others. Reinvent continuously. Value results and relationships. Embody a leader’s heart.   Similar processes can be found in other books on leadership such as those by James Kouzes and Barry Posner ( The Leadership Challenge )  but Miller brings an up-to-date spin to the process of being an effective leader.  Each section also prov...

When Rita and I moved to Columbus, Georgia, in 1965, we visited Benning Hills Baptist Church where Sidney Waterhouse was pastor.     The following Sunday I was an usher and within a few weeks we were teaching a Sunday school class.     I certainly would like to think that this is because we were such apparently outstanding leaders (Rita is, I am not).     That was not the case, however. Benning Hills was located just outside the main gate of Fort Benning (now Fort Moore), and the post had recently sent several units to the Republic of Vietnam.     They had lost not only a number of military personnel but families who chose to relocate.   The church was experiencing what I refer to as “churn.”  This is a rather robust word.  As a noun,  It means “ a container in which cream is stirred or shaken to make butter ” (yes, I have seen one).  As a verb, it means “to stir or agitate violently .”  Benning Hi...

Do you have what it takes to be a coaching leader?   A coaching leader is someone who encourages another person to identify his or her goals, discover the resources available to pursue those goals, develop action plans together, and then walk along beside that person in the process of achieving the person’s goals.     A coaching leader can apply these skills in working with groups and teams as well, multiplying his or her impact as a coach by including others in the process.   A coaching leader is strong in the elements that Daniel Goleman attributes to emotional intelligence:   Self-awareness. Self-regulation. Motivation. Empathy. Social skills.   These are skills that can be learned once a person understands his or her own emotional intelligence profile.  The more that you, as a leader, can manage each of these areas, the higher your emotional intelligence.  Emotional intelligence is essential to be an effective coaching leader. These ...

The Gallup organization did a meta-analysis of 100 million employee interviews to identify what makes a highly engaged team.  The key factor is the manager, but one with a particular style of leading.  In a recent blog post, Jim Clifton reported, “ Gallup has discovered -- through studying what the best managers do differently -- that great managing is an act of coaching, not one of directing and administrating.”   At the center of compassionate accountability is coaching.  Good managers engage in regular coaching conversations to encourage, develop, and support team members.  In the blog, Clifton suggests several ways to implement this game changing strategy in an organization.   1.        Recognize that Millennials and Generation Z individuals want to learn and grow.  Coaching provides this opportunity. 2.       Announce to your organization that your leaders will move f...

For those who have never experienced theological education, the response to this question might Your “Isn’t that what theological education all about?”  Well, “yes” and “no.”  Theological education is a spiritual, educational, and skill development experience.  In addition to learning about biblical interpretation, theology, and doctrine, seminary students learn how to lead worship, preach, provide pastoral care, and lead congregations.  Although one would assume that spiritual formation is an intrinsic part of this experience, the assumption is based on intentionality on the part of the students, the faculty, and the seminary leadership.  It doesn’t just happen!   Perhaps today more than ever before, there is agreement that spiritual formation is integral to preparing well-rounded, effective religious leaders. One reason is that many students now come to seminary with only a marginal experience in being part of a community of faith...

Very often people confuse the terms “coaching” and “mentoring.”  (What we mean by coaching here is life or leadership coaching.)  Coaching and mentoring both involve supporting an individual's growth and development, but they have some key differences. Here's a breakdown: Focus: Coaching  tends to focus   on the present and future, helping you define your goals, overcome obstacles, and move toward your full potential. Coaches don't necessarily need direct experience in your field since they guide you to discover your own solutions and strategies. Mentoring  focuses on your past, present, and future, offering guidance based on the mentor's experience and expertise in your field or industry. Mentors often share their own stories and insights to help you navigate career or personal challenges and help in developing professional networks. Structure: Coaching  is typically more structured, with def...