I just got off the phone with a good friend. He is in a situation where the leader of his congregation is abusing the power that God has given him. As we talked about this I said, “Often a leader will surround himself with weak, yes-men, so no one will ever challenge him. Other gifted, strong leaders will be pushed aside, even though they could help build the vision, because the leader is threatened.”

My friend added, “In the end, he becomes the emperor with no clothes. And no one will tell him.”

Here are four ways to keep from becoming an insecure, abusive leader that produces little or rotten fruit.

We’ve all seen it before. The team meeting went exceptionally well and everyone is energized by ideas that could greatly improve the church.

But only six months later, conversations about “What will happen when … ?” have degenerated into “What ever happened to … ?” The initiative that once had everyone excited eventually landed in the “graveyard of good ideas.”

There are a few common reasons why good ideas fail. Understanding those barriers is key to ensuring they never get in the way again …

I am one of those people who believes the best about other people.

In my career as a junior guy working his way up and as a CEO, I have met all sorts of leaders in the marketplace and, now, in the church world. I have noticed over the years that both leaders and managers in Christian settings (like churches or ministries) are engaged with much less cynicism by their junior people at the beginning of a relationship because there is this perception that a common set of spiritual rules are shared and believed. 

It’s common knowledge that men are far less likely to go to the doctor than women. While that may not be very shocking, one of the justifications for their reluctance to schedule a check-up is intriguing. Many men don’t go to the doctor because they don’t want to find out something is wrong.

This idea of “what I don’t know can’t hurt me” is part of the reason women’s life expectancy has long outpaced men. The average U.S. woman lives to be 81.3, while a man’s average life span is 76.2 years.

Churches that value and welcome assessments can expect health and growth.

Courage is not just a personal trait. It’s an organizational trait as well.

And we all want, in some way, to be part of an organization and team that demonstrates courage. That is willing to push up the hill, against the odds, beyond all doubts to achieve results and impact what most thought not possible.

So here are a few points about creating a courageous organizational culture:

This past week, I was contacted by a minister who was getting ready to start his new role of campus pastor at a multisite church in 2014. He asked me to share with him what my week and responsibilities looked like and to explain the role of the campus pastor.

Believe it or not, this is something I do often and will be doing more in the future as a resource and partner on my friend Scott Williams’ new website campuspastor.tv.