Ron Edmondson

MAY 29, 2012

I love pastors. Each week, through this blog and my personal ministry, God allows me to partner with dozens of pastors, helping them think through life and ministry issues. I’ve learned that many pastors struggle to find people who will invest in them and help them grow as individuals, leaders and pastors. Recently I had a pastor ask me for my “best advice” for other pastors.

Learning-by-Doing 83

Learning-by-Doing Advice Delegation Follow-up 83

Ron Edmondson

MAY 9, 2012

I originally wrote this post for Catalyst Leader. Humility is a desired, but often neglected characteristic of good, servant leadership. The more we promote ourselves online, the more I’m afraid humility is being forgotten. As one who has an online presence, I consistently sense God reminding me that I’ve been on the bottom and I can return there.

Maturity 83

Maturity Bottom-up Follow-up Succession 83

Ron Edmondson

APRIL 30, 2012

I work with a lot of hurting leaders, mostly who lead within our churches. My most recent Ministers Health Survey revealed there are some genuine concerns among our church’s leadership. I’ve often wished I could say something to every leader. There are some things I’ve learned the hard way. I often share things leadership should do, but today I thought it wise to share some things not to do.

Resistance 83

Resistance Learning-by-Doing Survey Stress 83

Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 9, 2012

I came into ministry later in life, after over 20 years in the business world. Maybe that explains some of why I was surprised, when I entered the ministry, at how hard churches can be on a pastor. I never knew. My church leadership blog has given me access into the lives of hundreds of young pastors, many of them in smaller churches where they are one of a few, if not the only, staff members.

Committee 83

Committee Blog Advice Edmondson 83

Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 2, 2012

I am not sure why you would want to, but just in case you ever did… Perhaps understanding how helps you not to, because, just as with a healthy team environment, creating an unhealthy team environment doesn’t happen without intentionality. You’ll have to work at it. Here are 10 ways to create an unhealthy team environment: Make people question their role or performance on the team.

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Environment Team Edmondson Project 83

Ron Edmondson

APRIL 16, 2012

Recently I preached on the danger of pride. (You can watch that message HERE.). If you follow this blog, you know I tend to think a great deal about leadership. I have a heart for developing good leadership in the church and in ministry. As I wrestled through this particular message preparation, I kept thinking about places I see pride creep into leadership; even my own leadership.

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Learning-by-Doing Advice Team Positioning 83

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 11, 2012

Here are some things I’ve learned raising boys. People ask me all the time for advice on raising girls, and honestly, I’ve got some, but they all involve a shotgun and long ankle-length dresses, so you probably don’t want that. Seriously, I always wanted a girl, but I think God knew what He was doing by giving me boys. (Imagine that!

Learning-by-Doing 83

Learning-by-Doing Resistance Advice Planning 83

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Worry is like a plague of our body. It attacks our mind, then our heart, and over time, it can consume our overall health. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life.” How good are you at obeying that verse? One part of maturing as believers is to begin to eliminate worry from our life. I’m not claiming we ever get there, but as we grow we should, over the years, worry less.

Maturity 83

Maturity Course Planning How To 83

Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 14, 2012

As a pastor, I’m consistently asked about disciplining children. I posted on this previously, but decided to revise it some and post again. There is always special interest in the subject of spanking; whether it was appropriate or not and whether I believe in it or not. While I believe discipline is a personal topic for parents to decide where they land, I do believe there are some principles that are helpful for all parents to follow.

Tips 83

Tips Maturity Long-term Planning 83

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Are you a followable leader? A followable leader has people who want to follow. They inspire followers to join them on a journey and they develop loyalty from their team. Ask yourself: Do people want to follow my lead? Why would they want to follow me? The best example I know of a followable leader is Jesus. Let’s consider some of the reasons He was able to develop such loyalty among the people He led.

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Quality Loyalty Energy Team 83

Ron Edmondson

MARCH 1, 2012

One of the best things a leader can do is ask the right questions. I love to say, “A leader can only see what a leader can see” The leader can often be the last to know where there is a problem or what others are thinking, so asking questions is critical to good leadership. Great leaders ask great questions. Here are 12 great leadership questions: What can we learn from this?

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Leadership Energy Books Positioning 83

Ron Edmondson

NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Yesterday, I shared some general ways I deal with stress. Today I’m following that up with some specific things I do that help me deal with daily stress. You can read yesterday’s post HERE. Here are 7 specific tips I have for handling stress: Plan each day – Begin each day with a predetermined win for the day. What do you intend to get accomplished?

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Stress Tips Project Planning 83

Ron Edmondson

JULY 25, 2012

Recently I received this question as a comment on my blog: Could you share or possibly write a post about your relationship with your wife and how you incorporate or make her feel a part of your ministry and relationships? Great question. My wife, Cheryl, is a partner in my ministry. In every church we’ve been she’s been widely loved and popular.

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Long-term Short-term Blog Edmondson 83

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 4, 2012

I am often asked how to know if the plans we make are God’s will for our life. This is a common concern. Most of us want to do God’s will, but God seems to give us a tremendous amount of freedom. If you’re like me, you’re fully capable of making a mistake. I’ve made many. Here are 5 Questions I often ask myself to help discern God’s will: Does what I’m doing (or planning to do) conflict with Scripture?

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Planning Course How To 83

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Let’s consider the heart of a leader. Someone asked me recently what I primarily look for in the hiring of a staff position. I said, without reservation, first and foremost, I look for a heart. I want a hear that honors Christ more than self, that desires to grow and learn, and that is willing to sacrifice personal privilege for benevolent purpose of others.

Resistance 83

Resistance Learning-by-Doing Planning Examples 83

Ron Edmondson

JUNE 6, 2012

The Hidden Emotions of Leadership. As leaders, we aren’t always honest about how we are feeling. It’s almost as if there’s an unwritten rule that we have to hide our true emotions because…if people knew what we were really feeling…they may not respect us, they may not follow us…and…just being candid…they may not even like us.

Learning-by-Doing 83

Learning-by-Doing Follow-up Maturity Advice 83

Ron Edmondson

JUNE 26, 2012

There are no perfect leaders…except for Jesus. For the rest of us, we each have room for improvement. Most of us live with flaws in our leadership. Good leaders learn to surround themselves with people who can supplement their weaknesses. There are, however, some leadership traits, which a leader can never delegate away. If the leader can’t work through them, in my opinion, his or her leadership will be crippled.

Leadership 83

Leadership Delegation Edmondson Loyalty 83

Ron Edmondson

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

In making decisions whether or not to take on a new project, adopt a new stance, or move forward in a new direction… Wise leaders never confuse a possibility for an opportunity. There is a huge difference in the two. I remember once our church was approached with what we thought was a great opportunity to plant another church campus. An existing church building was going to be available for little or no money and 10 or 20 people were ready to launch with us.

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Discount Insurance Edmondson Cost 83

Ron Edmondson

JUNE 7, 2012

I was talking with a godly man recently about his church. He’s concerned that the church is wasting a lot of resources. They have a large building, a large staff, and a rich history of Kingdom-building, but the building sits empty most days of the week and there is a steady decline in baptisms and Sunday attendance. There is no momentum in the church and he’s concerned than in 20 years the church will be gone.

Resistance 83

Resistance Learning-by-Doing Committee Training 83

Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 23, 2012

This is an encouragement to those who are limping in leadership. The truth is, the best leaders I know have a limp of some nature. It may not be a literal, physical limp, or even visible, but if you are around them long, they will display remnants of a previous injury. They may have had a failure that crippled them for a season. They may have messed up.

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Follow-up Learning-by-Doing Influence Leadership 83

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

I love organizational leadership. I especially love leading healthy organizations. I have been in both environments…healthy and non-healthy. I prefer healthy. If truth be told, I’ve probably been the leader in both extremes. Along the way, I’ve observed a few things which can be the enemy of organizational health. Here are 7 enemies of organizational health: Shortcuts – There are no shortcuts to creating a healthy organization.

Resistance 83

Resistance Morale Environment Efficiency 83

Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 26, 2012

A youth pastor emailed me recently. He’s frustrated that his pastor continually caves into pressures of a few leaders in the church. They are not supportive of the youth ministry, even though it’s the fastest growing area of the church. The complaint they have? The ministry is costing far more than it brings into the church. Young people are coming to the church in growing numbers, but without their parents.

Cost 83

Cost Leadership 83

Ron Edmondson

APRIL 10, 2012

In my experience, peace often doesn’t come until obedience begins. Seldom do I have complete peace prior to beginning to obey what I sense God is calling me to do. Many times the direction God appears to be leading me doesn’t make sense. I’m restless. I don’t sleep well. I question myself and what I’m sensing. I’ve previously written steps I take to discern God’s will (You can read that HERE and HERE ), but after I’ve done that process, and I̵

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Process How To 82

Ron Edmondson

DECEMBER 4, 2012

The volume or tempo of the music determines whether you think it’s a worship song. A slight change in the order of the service makes you think they’ve harmed “worship” You think raising hands or not raising hands determines the depth of a person’s worship. You believe the “proper” length of a “worship” service is dictated by your lunch schedule.

Edmondson 82

Edmondson Quality 82

Ron Edmondson

MAY 20, 2012

Frankly, I wish it happened more often, but occasionally a young father will come to me wanting to know how to be a better husband or father. One thing they specifically ask is how to take advantage of the time they have with their family and to be more effective with that time. As it seems all our time is so valuable, with the many distractions busy families face, wise parents realize the need to make the best use of the time they have together.

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Meyer Guidelines Planning Finance 82

Ron Edmondson

MARCH 14, 2012

I talk to pastors and leaders my age and older who want to see a new generation of leaders, but either don’t know how or can’t seem to find them. Frankly, some pastors I talk with are frustrated with what they see as a lack of leadership among the newer generations. I’m frequently asked how we have managed to find so many talented young leaders at Grace Community Church.

Maturity 82

Maturity Construction Learning-by-Doing Advice 82

Ron Edmondson

JULY 29, 2012

Sometimes life throws curves at us that take the wind from our sail. If we aren’t careful we can allow the injury to haunt us for life; never regaining what we have lost. Have you lost a job recently? If you’re not careful, you will falsely assume that you could never get as good of a job again. Have you had a business failure? If you’re not careful, you’ll keep yourself from ever taking a rid again.

Tips 81

Tips Workshop Edmondson Planning 81

Ron Edmondson

JULY 17, 2012

I’m a student of leadership. I am consistently talking to, interviewing, and learning from leaders I believe have been successful; regardless of their vocational field. If they have honorable intentions (which I believe is necessary to be considered successful anyway), then I can learn from them. I’ve observed a few common habits that successful leaders have that may, in my opinion, separate them from less successful leaders.

Succession 81

Succession Learning-by-Doing Edmondson Stress 81

Ron Edmondson

JUNE 19, 2012

(This is the kind of post I only do when my wife is in another city. I’ll explain why in a minute.). We were on vacation last week. I got to run in some incredible cities. I ran in Minneapolis, Fargo, ND, Sioux Falls, SD and Mason City, Iowa. One word for everyday’s run. Glorious. I worshipped. I talked to God. I dreamed. It was awesome.

Leadership 81

Leadership Edmondson Learning-by-Doing Advice 81

Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 12, 2012

I am a runner. I run as many as 6 days a week. When I run I am serious about it. I watch the time. I pace myself. I measure my distance. I check my calories burned. I do it for exercise. I run for personal well-being. It isn’t always easy. Sometimes I spend time thinking about the Gatorade waiting for me when I get home. I think about how much my legs hurt.

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Edmondson Stress Innovation Positioning 81

Ron Edmondson

AUGUST 8, 2012

I’ll be honest. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately. In my new position , there are more opportunities than time. I’m excited about the potential, but my calendar won’t hold anymore and my mind is exploding. One day recently, I was driving on the road which leads back to Clarksville. I considered my schedule, the enormity of the challenge ahead, the dozens of emails awaiting a response and the people I was still having to say “no” to when they ask for my time

Delegation 80

Delegation Edmondson Energy Course 80

Ron Edmondson

APRIL 9, 2012

I have a strong desire to help improve the quality of leadership in churches and ministries, especially among the next generation of Christian leaders. My youngest son, Nate , who has already proven to be a great leader in the environments where he’s served as one, consistently encourages me that I need to develop good followers , along with developing good leaders.

Delegation 80

Delegation Consensus Team Commitment 80

Ron Edmondson

JUNE 21, 2012

This is a hard word for some pastors, but after a recent post I was asked about how I protect my Sabbath. That’s a great question, because many pastors struggle in this area. In fact, many pastors I know who would teach their church to observe the Sabbath, seldom do so personally. This fact alone is one of the leading causes of pastoral burnout, in my opinion.

Planning 80

Planning Delegation Edmondson Efficiency 80

Ron Edmondson

JULY 30, 2012

In my opinion… Leadership is at it’s best when: People follow willingly, not under coercion or force. People can keep up, but are still being stretched. People feel valued, while being challenged to continually improve. People are assigned to their specific passion, but readily do what needs to be done. People have a clearly defined vision, but have freedom to invent and dream along the way.

Leadership 80

Leadership Edmondson Tips Follow-up 80

Ron Edmondson

MAY 26, 2012

This is to my wife. It could be to anyone married to a pastor. It’s hard work. In fact, I’ve said this before, but it may be the most difficult job in the church at times. But, this one is to my wife. (You’re welcome to read along.). I’ve also said this before…I have the perfect pastor’s wife. Younger pastor’s wives, if you want to learn how to do it, I’d submit my wife as an example.

Edmondson 80

Edmondson Learning-by-Doing Quality Examples 80

Ron Edmondson

AUGUST 6, 2012

Recently, I shared 7 questions every leader should use often. It opened some good discussion around the post. It also made me think there was a similar set of 7 phrases leaders should consider using frequently. These are not questions, but statements. One of the goals of a leader should be to encourage, strengthen and challenge a team to continually improve.

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Edmondson Banking Goal Influence 79

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

Did you catch it? What’s the greatest killer of motivation? You thought it was a lack of vision, didn’t you? But, you can have the greatest vision ever and still see motivation dwindle and momentum die. The fact is, we have an amazing ability to get bored with good things over time. It doesn’t matter how much we love something, time can cause us to lose interest.

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Motivation Marketing Productivity Products 80