Category Archives: Leadership

Why Churches Are Infatuated with Metrics

Posted on May 18, 2023 by Richard Heyduck

Another pastor asked me today why the church loves “measurability” so much. The question got me to thinking. My first thought turned to Jerry Muller’s book, The Tyranny of Metrics. (If you like other formats, you can listen to Russ … Continue reading →

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Review: Faith for this Moment

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Richard Heyduck

If you have access to this review, you know we live in a highly polarized culture. One the one hand, our political polarization has been on display during the past week as a miscreant from Florida sent mail bombs to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Clash of Civilizations, Culture, Discipleship, Ecclesiology, Leadership | Leave a comment

What About Leadership?

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

The American church has been buffeted by the cult of leadership for a couple of decades now. The cult took root in evangelical Christianity before it did in my own United Methodist Church. We need leaders – not just any … Continue reading →

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Church as Ecology

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

In his Ethics in the Conflicts of Modernity, Alasdair MacIntyre draws from W. Edwards Deming and Wendell Berry: “Individuals who farm need to regard themselves as contributing to a larger project, that of making their particular farm productive while sustaining its … Continue reading →

Posted in Alasdair MacIntyre, church growth, Discipleship, Ecclesiology, Leadership, United Methodism | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Reviewing Meet Generation Z

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

My introduction to James Emery Miller’s recent book, Meet Generation Z: Understanding and Reaching the New Post-Christian World came through an interview on Carey Nieuwhof’s podcast. My first thought was, “I need to read that book.” Imagine my happiness when only … Continue reading →

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Motivation

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Richard Heyduck

My jobs require me to motivate others. As a teacher, I have to motivate students to do the work that leads to learning. As a pastor, I have to motivate people to engage in the practices that constitute a life … Continue reading →

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Definition-phobia

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Richard Heyduck

In a recent post Tony Morgan writes about reasons churches lack a strategy for life change. The first of his four reasons is that churches don’t define success, fearing the accountability that will come with it. I ran first ran … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Leadership, Local church, Ministry, Tony Morgan | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lead the Mission

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

In describing the work of appointment making in his book Bishop, Will Willimon frames the big picture this way: “The task of the bishop and the DSs in the appointive process is to send clergy who can lead the mission … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Texas Annual Conference, Will Willimon | 1 Comment

Individual vs. Collective

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

Listening to Peter Harrison’s fifth Gifford Lecture as I drove to Marshall today, I heard his description of a shift from natural philosophy to science in the early modern period. Under the old paradigm (and I use Kuhn’s term intentionally), … Continue reading →

Posted in church growth, Discipleship, Leadership, Spirituality, Theology, United Methodism, Will Willimon | Leave a comment

Leadership in Time

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Richard Heyduck

Some approaches to leadership view it as a science. Through a study of human institutions and organizations, the thought it, one can discern principles that “work.” Those who speak of “irrefutable” laws of leadership take this approach. Leadership conceived along … Continue reading →

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