The Top 30 Christian Leaders You Should Follow On Twitter In 2016 Part 2

Earlier this year I posted my annual listing of The Top 30 Blogs Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2016 and The Top 30 Christian Leaders You Need To Follow On Twitter In 2016 Part 1.
When speaking with the highly-respected church consultant Scott Williams several years ago, he advised me to do another list mid-year so people could be pointed to even more great Christian leaders.
Because Scott’s advice and of the popularity of these resources, I am privileged to provide you a mid-year additional list of The Top 30 Christian Leaders You Should Follow On Twitter In 2016 Part 2.
Make sure you follow everyone listed below.  They will make you a better leader just as they have me.

1. Matt Adair – Matt is the Lead Pastor of Christ Community Church in Athens, GA and writes the wonderful leadership blog Griddiron.com.  As one of the leaders of the Acts 29 Network, Matt helps church leaders build a great team so they can build a great church.  To learn more from this great leader, read 80 Leadership Quotes From 6 Of America’s Leading Church Planters.
2. Chris_Broussard – In addition to covering the NBA for ESPN, Broussard previously gained national prominence for his Christian stand on marriage.  He is often recognized by those in the media for his great faith.
3. H.B. Charles Jr. – The man knows as HBC2 has been the Pastor-Teacher at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida since 2008.  He also hosts The On Preaching Podcast which is dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.
4. Mark Clement – Mark is a communications expert and filmmaker.  If your church needs quality print and video collateral he is your guy.  Also, check out his site TheCommunicationBlog.com for helpful hints in this area.
5. Ken Coleman – Ken hosts my favorite leadership podcast, EntreLeadership Podcast, and authored one of the best leadership books you will ever read, One Question.
6. Phil Cooke – Through his companies CookePictures.com and Influencelab.com, Phil helps churches and nonprofits be effective at the media.
7. Leonce B. Crump Jr. – Leonce is the Founder and Senior Pastor of Renovation Church in Atlanta, GA.  He is one of the country’s most influential voices in multi-ethnic and multi-generational ministry.  For more from Leonce, click ReThink Conference: 21 Leadership Quotes From Leonce Crump Jr.
8. Wilfredo De Jesus – This wonderful Christian leader is known as Pastor Choco to those who know him.  Pastor De Jesus is is the Senior Pastor of New Life Covenant Church located in Chicago.
9. Tim Elmore – I know of no greater expert on the next generation than the President of @GrowingLeaders.  I also know of few better communicators.
10. Naeem Fazal – Naeem is Pakistani born, former Muslim who now pastors Mosaic Church in Huntersville, NC.
11. Joshua Gagnon –  Joshua is the founding and lead pastor of Next Level Church, one church with eight locations throughout New England.  This New Hampshire-based church had 5,470 on Easter.  If you are not listening to his leadership podcast, do yourself a favor and click HERE to sign up today.  For more from Josh, click ReThink Conference: 23 Leadership Quotes From Josh Gagnon.
12. J.D. Greear – The pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC showed everyone what leadership is all about by unifying the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention.  For more on this story click 10 Leadership Lessons From J.D. Greear’s Concession Speech At The Southern Baptist Convention
13. Craig Groeschel – There are simply few people I respect as much as the Senior Pastor of Life.Church.  For more on this iconic ministry click 27 Reasons Why Life.Church Led By Pastor Craig Groeschel Is America’s Largest Church.
14. Chris Hodges – Chris is the senior pastor of Church Of The Highlands in Birmingham, AL.  In addition to leading a church with over 30,000 in weekend attendance, he also co-founded ARC (Association of Related Churches) in 2001, which has launched hundreds of churches all across the USA.  Chris also founded a coaching network called GROW, which trains and resources pastors to help them break barriers and reach their growth potential.
15. Rashad Jennings and the Rashad J. Foundation – This New York Giants running back is deeply invested in today’s youth through The Reading Challenge, The Locker Room Project and Camp 180 programs.  His 2016 commencement address at Liberty University is one of the most talked about in the school’s history.
16. Lecrae – Needing no introduction, let me quote his website, “People struggle with categories. Categories make us feel comfortable because it’s how we make sense of things in our minds,” Grammy-award winner Lecrae Moore ponders. But sometimes, when you discover something really special, it defies category. Lecrae finishes his thought, “Sometimes, there’s transcendence.”
17. Michael Lukaszewski – Michael is founder of Church Fuel, an organization which provides pastors and church leaders insanely practical tools and resources.  Because of his social commentary, he is also one of the funniest people on Twitter.
18. Jeff Maness – Jeff is the founding and Lead Pastor of Element Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Since launching in October of 2007, Element has become recognized as one of America’s fastest growing churches with over 1,500 in weekend attendance.  If you would like to contact Jeff about Leadership and Ministry coaching, please visit his Coaching page.
19. @PastorEMase – Dr. Mason is co-founder and lead pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, PA. In addition, to his role as pastor, he serves as president of Thrive In The City.  A ministry dedicated to aiding ethnic minorities to be resourced and trained for ministry to the urban context
20. Jonathan Merritt – Jonathan is an award-winning writer on religion, culture, and politics. He currently serves as a contributing writer for The Atlantic and senior columnist for Religion News Service.  Named one of “30 young influencers reshaping Christian leadership“ by Outreach Magazine, Jonathan is a sought after speaker at colleges, conferences, and churches.
21. Bryan Miles – Along with his wife Shannon, they formed MAG (Miles Advisory Group).  Two of their companies which serve pastors and church leaders are EAHelp and MAG Bookkeeping, the latter of which is led by one of my favorite leaders Randy Ongie.
22. Beth Moore – As her Twitter profile says, Beth is “crazy about Jesus. (He) Saved my life. (I) Want to see people know Him and love Him.”  You have Beth.  Well done.
23. Nabeel Qureshi – Nabeel is the author of the New York Times bestselling Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, the only book ever to win Christian Book Awards for both “Best New Author” and “Best Nonfiction.” Nabeel is a global speaker with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
24. Tim Stevens – Tim previsouly served on the staff of  Granger Community Church for over 17 years.  He now is a highly effective Executive Search Consultant Team Leader at @VanderbloemenSG.
25. Bishop Walter Scott Thomas – There is no finer leader than the Pastor of New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore.  Bishop Thomas’s influence is also felt as the Presiding Prelate of Kingdom Association of Covenant Pastors.  Just simply a great leader and influencer of hundreds of pastors.
26. Justin Trapp – Justin is the Founder of @MinistryPass which does an incredible job of equipping church leaders with the tools and resources they need.  His blog also is must-read for Christian leaders.
27. Adam Weber – Adam is the Embrace Church in Sioux Falls, SD.  Not exactly located in the Bible Belt, this 9-year old church has grown to five campuses and 4,000+ in weekend attendance.  He also has an incredible leadership blog you can read by clicking HERE.
28. David Whitten – This Senior Pastor of FishHawk Fellowship is growing one of the greatest churches in the Tampa, FL area.  If you want to see how a church can impact a city, check out this wonderful Christian leader.
29. Jim Woolums – One of the kindest, most generous Christian leaders on Twitter.  Make sure you are in his circle of influence.  And he also has one of Twitter’s coolest avatars.
30. Ravi Zacharias – The Founder & President of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries based out of Atlanta should needs no introduction.  Few share the Gospel or defend the Christian faith in as a logical and loving manner.  As his Twitter profile says, he helps thinkers believe and believers to think.

That is my list.  Who else do you follow?

Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1869 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2015 Global Leadership Summit, That Church, REACT and Catalyst Conferences.  If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader.  Enjoy!!!

7 Reasons Why Church People Criticize Pastors

By Charles Stone

“Criticism is never pleasant, but sometimes necessary.”

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If you serve in a church, criticism comes with the territory. I doubt that any pastor or leader likes it. But, we must deal with it in a God-honoring way. One way to do that is to understand why people criticize us. I’ve listed below what I believe are seven reasons why church people criticize pastors with a suggested response to each.

Why church people criticize pastors

1. They lack spiritual maturity. Some people criticize you because they think it’s part of a Christian’s job description. After all, “Pastors need to avoid pride and some good healthy criticism can keep ’em humble.”
• Response: Don’t be surprised that you get criticized. Make sure that your church has an intentional spiritual formation strategy to help people think and act more biblically.
2. They feel they are losing the church they once knew. As we get older, we must deal with the inevitable results of aging, slowing cognitive function, and reduced flexibility and resilience. Seniors in your church may feel that changes you are bringing are taking away the church they grew up in. Guess what? Unless we stay resilient as we age, when we get older we’ll probably feel the same way.
• Response: Give a gracious listening ear to seniors and seek to empathize with them by stepping into their shoes. Try to see their concerns from their perspective.
3. They don’t feel they have a voice. Some church people can feel that their opinions don’t matter and so criticize to get their voice heard.
• Response: Provide opportunities that give people a way to give input. I’ve heard Patrick Lencioni, leadership author and guru, often say that people will support you if they feel that they’ve been truly heard.
4. They don’t deal with change very well. Some people are born more adverse to change than others. Their brains are wired that way. Their fear circuits are more easily set off by uncertainty, and change brings uncertainty.
• Response: Recognizing this fact will give you greater tolerance and understanding of why some people tend to criticize more than others. Again, empathy will go a long way to help these folks feel more comfortable with change and less critical.
5. They need to find something or someone toward which to vent their hurt caused by other life issues. Some people in your church project their personal hurts through criticism. Criticism helps ease their angst, at least for the short term.
• Response: Although this is not a pleasant reality, it is true. A wise counselor once said, “The past is not past until it is processed.” Many in your church still carry heavy loads of guilt and anger that can easily spill over toward you through criticism. I suggest prayer in response to this kind of critic. Prayer could fit into a response for every category I’ve listed, but it’s especially apropos in this case. If you sense that others are projecting their pain toward you through criticism, ask the Lord to heal their hurt and to release their unforgiveness, bitterness and pain.
6. They are truly malevolent people committed to your demise.
• Response: Although I believe these critics are few, they do exist. If you face this kind of person in your church, take bold action. Titus 3.10 commands us to warn a divisive person once and after that have nothing to do with them. Sometimes extreme cases require you to apply church discipline.
7. They have a point. Sometimes the criticism is valid and you need to hear it.
• Response: Listen and heed. When the criticism reflects a valid issue, learn from it and make  appropriate adjustments in your life or ministry. Proverbs 27.6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”
Criticism is never pleasant, but sometimes necessary.

10 Times You Don’t Need a Leader

By Ron Edmondson

“Sometimes organizations, churches, corporate worlds—should simply send the leaders home.”

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I talk a lot about leadership. A mentor of mine says everything rises and falls on leadership. (I know he’s repeating someone else, but to me—he says it.) I have an advanced degree in leadership. I believe it’s an important subject—for organizations and the church.

But, here’s the truth: You don’t always need a leader.
Sometimes organizations, churches, corporate worlds—should simply send the leaders home. They don’t want and don’t need them.
I once interviewed for a position I really wanted. I was so excited about the opportunity and really—even to this day—believe I could have done some incredible things with this company. (This position was in the business world—not the ministry world.) I would have basically run a company for owners who were retiring. It was between me and another person. The other person was an operation manager. I was in a senior leadership position, where we had experienced explosive growth and change in recent years. The bottom line in the decision process was whether the owners wanted someone to maintain the business as they were leaving it—or someone who would take the business to something new—hopefully (at least I felt we could), somewhere beyond where it had ever been. They opted to leave things as they were. I understood and admitted I wasn’t a good fit for them.
No hard feelings—maybe some initial disappointment, but I understood. They didn’t need a leader.

Here are 10 times you don’t need a leader:

You don’t need a leader if there is no risk involved.
You don’t need a leader to maintain status quo.
You don’t need a leader if it doesn’t involve change.
You don’t need a leader if you already have all the answers.
You don’t need a leader if every outcome is predetermined.
You don’t need a leader to manage current systems.
You don’t need a leader to keep things the way they’ve always been done.
You don’t need a leader if the structure, or tradition, or popular opinion, has already dictated the decision.
You don’t need a leader to give everyone what they want.
You don’t need a leader if “safe” is what you’re looking to achieve.
We need leaders—lots of them, in my opinion—but there’s no sense recruiting a leader unless you need one. The best time to determine this is on the front end, before the person is recruited to do the job.
I give this advice frequently now to churches seeking a new pastor. I’ve given it to business owners who are seeking to fill an internal position. I’ve shared it with nonprofits who are looking for board members or key volunteers. Sometimes knowing what you are seeking helps eliminate frustration—from both parties—in the future.

7 Signs a Leader Is About to FALL

By Thom Rainer

Though these signs don’t always happen in a linear fashion, each one should cause us to slow down and evaluate our lives.

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Simon Peter is one of my favorite Bible characters. He is so real…so human. He was the leader of the apostles, named first in the lists of the disciples in the New Testament. Still, though, he fell in a dramatic way (Luke 22:31-62).
The story of Peter’s fall is filled with warning signs for today’s leaders. Though these signs don’t always happen in a linear fashion, each one should cause us to slow down and evaluate our lives.

1. Being overconfident

Jesus told Peter the Enemy would sift him, but Peter strongly affirmed his commitment to go to prison or to death for Jesus. Surely Peter meant those words, as evidenced by his later willingness to defend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Within hours, though, he would deny knowing Jesus. Peter was overconfident and didn’t know it—and that’s the danger of overconfidence. Believing “it won’t happen to me” is a huge warning sign.

2. Suffering emotional and physical fatigue

The disciples were to watch and pray in the garden, but instead they slept. The emotional fatigue of mounting opposition to Jesus had taken a toll. Exhaustion increased their vulnerability to the Enemy’s arrows. Under the wearying strain of a leader’s responsibilities, we, too, sometimes let our guard down. Carrying too many burdens and getting too little rest can lead to serious consequences.

3. Failing to pray

“Pray,” Jesus commanded the disciples in the garden. Even if they wanted to, still sleep came easier than prayer. The problem here is simple: Prayerlessness reflects self-dependence rather than dependence on God. Anytime we’re not praying, we are susceptible to a fall. In fact, prayerlessness usually correlates to acting first and following God second—as Peter did when he first defended Jesus with a sword.

4. Growing distanced from Jesus

Peter followed Jesus after His arrest from a distance. That distance was obviously geographical, but his heart would quickly grow distant from Jesus too. His actions soon to come would make that point. He who had stood with Jesus and said he would die for Him wouldn’t stand for Him when challenged. Our distance from Jesus may be marked more by less Bible reading and fewer prayers than public denials, but any distance can set us up for a fall.

5. Trying to hide in public

Peter did not hide well, of course, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t try. He warmed himself at the same fire that warmed the enemies of Jesus. Surely he hoped no one would see anything unusual in his presence. Good leaders don’t ignore this warning sign: If you’re tempted to hide something (even while still serving publicly), you are moving in the wrong direction.

6. Lying

A servant girl looked intently at Peter and accused him of being a follower of Jesus; in fact, the wording suggests she stared hard at the disciple. Face to face. Eyeball to eyeball. Accountability in action. Still, Peter lied to her. She challenged him with the truth of who he was, and he denied it. You know a fall is at full throttle if you lie when confronted with the truth of what you’re doing.

7. Escalating denials

Three times others initiated a conversation about Peter’s relationship with Jesus; three times the disciple denied it. To admit he was a follower of Christ would have been to risk his own life, and Peter would not go there. In fact, his denials escalated to the point that he was angry, swearing he had no relationship with Jesus. “May curses fall on me if it’s otherwise,” he said. Leaders in the midst of a fall often convince themselves that loud continual denials somehow change reality.
Here’s the danger for leaders today. For Peter, the process of falling occurred rapidly. It was as if he ran and leapt into disobedience. Most leaders don’t leap into trouble, though; they slide there. Sometimes the process happens so imperceptibly that leaders are in a disaster before they know it.
That’s why good leaders know these warning signals and guard their hearts.

One Of The Greatest Servant Leaders You Have Never Heard Of

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
Have you ever met someone like that?  Have you ever met someone who approaches their job with such joy and excellence, that they ultimately do their job as well as anyone else does their job?  I recently did.  Her name was Gail.
Let me tell you a story about Gail.
Friday morning July 1st was just a normal morning in a Hampton Inn hotel.  I enjoy Hampton Inns.  They are my hotel of choice when traveling.
This particular Hampton Inn was located in Lynchburg, VA.  My family was in town for a Friendly Friday event at Liberty University.  Friendly Fridays are a chance for parents and prospective students to take a guided tour of the campus.
With my family waiting in the lobby, I needed to make a fast trip back up to the room to retrieve something I had forgotten.  As I got off the elevator and began walking down the hallway towards my room, I passed a lady from the cleaning and maintenance staff.  The following conversation ensued:

“Good morning”, she said.

As I casually walked by towards my room, I responded, “Good morning ma’am. How are you today?” not expect any reply.

She said in an unusually joyful voice, “I’m great!  How was your room?”

Surprised by the second question, I looked up and said, “It was very good.  Thank you for asking.  How is your day going?”

“It’s going very well.  I hope you have a blessed day” she said.

As I walked into my room I responded, “Thank you ma’am.  I will.  I hope you do as well.”

I thought, “That is the nicest cleaning lady I have ever met.”  As I quickly grab a few things out of my room, I walked back past her cleaning cart towards the elevator and saw the following:

 You will notice in her cleaning cart a book entitled, “Walking With Giants: The Extraordinary Life Of An Ordinary Man” by Dr. Elmer Towns.  Dr. Towns is the co-founder of Liberty University.  He also authored more than 175 books on prayer, spirituality, and the church.  The return on his investment in the lives of men and women who long to be exceptional for the cause of Christ will never be fully known until we get to Heaven.  This book was being carried by this sweet lady in her cleaning cart and obviously being read throughout the day.

When I arrived back down in the lobby I told the hotel manager and front desk personnel how nice this lady was.  The manager said with a smile, “That’s Gail.  She’s great!”  I said, “Yes, she is.”

The following are 8 Leadership Lessons I gleaned from my brief but impactful encounter with Gail:

1. You can make a BIG impact in someones life ‘s a short period of time.  My time with Gail was less than 20 seconds.
2. The people who are the best at what they do are artists, not employees.  Their occupation is their craft, not their job.  And they take an appropriate level of pride and preparation in what they do.
3. To be extraordinary all you need to do is be ordinary and provide a little extra.  Ask the 2nd question.  Smile.  We had two twin beds in our room.  Gail could obviously tell which one my teenage daughter slept in.  The bed had an extra blanket when we returned.  Just a little extra takes something from ordinary to extraordinary.
4. Know your audience.  As they told us on the tour, when Liberty shuts down, the city of Lynchburg shuts down.  Therefore, many people who stay in the hotel are likely connected to the college in some form or fashion.  Gail was reading about its cofounder.
5. Always be learning and growing.  Gail is a reader.
6. Greatness is found in the margins.  I imagine that during Gail’s breaks, she is reading this leadership book.  What do you do during your marginal time?  Also, taking the time to slow down and have a brief conversation can greatly improve your day.
7. Attitude matters.  Happy people are just more pleasurable to be around.
8. Preach the Gospel every day.  Use words if you have to.  You should be easily able to tell if a person is a Christian.  You should intuitively know if they love Jesus or not.  Gail did not have to tell me she was Christian.  In fact, we did not discuss one spiritual item.  But I knew about her faith after only eight words.

May we all approach life like Gail.  May we all approach our work like Gail.  May we all have the ability to impact others like Gail.  And my we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives every day…and use words when we have to.
If you want to see what servant leadership looks like, visit the Hampton Inn by the airport in Lynchburg, VA.  Stay on the 5th floor and ask to meet Gail.  She will show you how it’s done.

Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1869 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2015 Global Leadership Summit, That Church, REACT and Catalyst Conferences.  If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader.  Enjoy!!!

4 Things Any Pastor Can Do To Possibly Triple Their Weekend Attendance

Over 80% of American churches are plateaued or declining.  This is why it is such a privilege when you have the opportunity to spend time with and learn from a pastor who is actually experiencing exponential growth.

Big Creek Baptist Church Senior Pastor Matt Olson

On June 15th, I was flying home from the Southern Baptist Convention and had the opportunity to sit across the aisle from Matt Olson, Senior Pastor of Big Creek Baptist Church in Waynesboro, MS (pictured on the left).  As we started talking I asked him about his family and ministry. I discovered some amazing things from this great leader.
The city of Waynesboro is located in a county of 30,000 people.  Yet, under Matt’s leadership, the church has tripled from 50 people in weekend attendance to 150 worshipping weekly at the church.
Let me put this in proper perspective, if you did a ratio of church attendance (150) compared to the local population (30K), Matt is the numerical equivalent to Andy Stanley!  For all small church pastors in rural communities, be encouraged by this information.
When I asked Matt, in addition to the Holy Spirit of course, what was causing Big Creek to grow at such a rapid rate, he began to share the church’s story.
As I listened to Matt, I gleaned 4 Things Any Pastor Can Do To Possibly Triple Their Weekend Attendance.  Also, Matt has just started a new ministry blog for church leaders.  Make sure you encourage him by checking it out HERE.  Now onto Matt’s thoughts.

1. To Possibly Triple Your Weekend Attendance You Must Teach The Bible With Authority – Nothing changes a human life or a church like God’s Word.  Matt told me the church needed someone who would preach the Word consistently and without apology.
2. To Possibly Triple Your Weekend Attendance You Must Have Stable And Consistent Leadership – In the church’s 150 history, the longest a pastor ever stayed at the church was six years.  High pastoral turnover robs the church of momentum, confidence and trust.  Matt has now been there 10 years, six months.
3. To Possibly Triple Your Weekend Attendance You Must Love Your Church And Its People Unconditionally – The business world teaches people everything they need to know about conditional love.  The church should teach people everything they need to know about unconditional love.  Matt said, “They didn’t need great intellect or a superman.  They simply needed someone to love them.”  Pastors need to be loved as well.  Matt added, “And I needed a group to love me.”  The church had been burned by short-term pastors too often.  They needed reassurance he was not not seeking a way out or to leave them.
4. To Possibly Triple Your Weekend Attendance You Must Model Grace And Forgiveness – I was greatly blessed by Matt’s transparency on this issue.  He said, “Some of the greatest things I’ve learned is the power of letting go of pain, praying for each other, and restoration!”  Matt went on to explain, “One of my deacons and I did not speak for six months.  We both prayed God would remove each other and through a time of brokenness, God brought supernatural love.  Today, he is one of my best friends.”  Matt also shared with me this man is his biggest supporter.

Teach The Bible With Authority, Have Stable And Consistent Leadership, Love Your Church And Its People Unconditionally, and Model Grace And Forgiveness.  These are four things any pastor can do through the power of the Holy Spirit.  If you faithfully practice these lessons, you too may see your church attendance triple!
Matt, thank you for the insights and a signed copy of my book is in the mail!

Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1869 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2015 Global Leadership Summit, That Church, REACT and Catalyst Conferences.  If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader.  Enjoy!!!

27 Reasons Why Life.Church Is America’s Largest Church And 9 Other Most Read Leadership Posts From June 2016

One thing the readers of this site reminded me of this past month was they LOVE pastors and churches.  During the month of June I dedicated over a dozen posts to Apex Leaders, those who are the best at what they do.  As I studied their leadership practices and behaviors, I thought it was some of the most interesting writing I had done.
But what you wanted and read the most were profiles of pastors and churches.  The lesson from June – LISTEN TO YOUR AUDIENCE!!!  It is not that complicated.  The top four posts of June focused on church leaders.  The complete list is below.
The following are The Top 10 Most Read Leadership Posts Of June 2016 as determined by you the readers:

1. 27 Reasons Why Life.Church Led By Pastor Craig Groeschel Is America’s Largest Church
2. Ike Reighard’s 9 Lessons From His Heart Attack
3. 10 Leadership Lessons From J.D. Greear’s Concession Speech At The Southern Baptist Convention
4. 10 Resources All Pastors And Christian Leaders Should Be Aware Of
5. My Thoughts On The LeBron James Expletive-Laden Victory Speech And His Leadership
6. The Top 10 Leadership Posts I Read The Week Of June 6th
7. 25 Tips For Churches On Delivering Better Customer Service – lessons from online retailer Zappos
8. 15 Things No One Ever Sees Which Largely Determine A Pastor’s Success And 9 Other Most Read Leadership Posts From May 2016
9. The Top 10 Leadership Posts I Read The Week Of June 13th
10. 42 Quotes And Lessons From Andy Stanley On Money And Possessions

The following are 12 Hidden Gems which did not make the Top 10.  11 of these posts are personal favorites and profiled Apex Leaders.  I cannot recommend enough you read these posts.  Learning from their lives will only make you a better leader.

• 21 Things Unchurched Men Are Experiencing When Dragged To Church By Their Wives
• 8 Hurdles All Leaders Must Face And Conquer – Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams
• 17 Ways A Leader Can Make A Good Team A Great Team – Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby
• The Leadership Stakes Are So High Pastors Must Do These 24 Things – Four years worth of leadership lessons from the Stanley Cup Finals
• 12 Tips On How The Most Successful Leaders Deal With Failure – Surfer Nic Lamb
• If You’re Not Moving And Learning, You’re Dying – soccer superstar Javier (Chicharito) Hernandez
• 14 Lessons Highly Successful Leaders Know About Building Great Teams – United States national soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann
• 13 Things Apex Leaders Do Under Intense Pressure, Conflict And Chaos – Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson
• This Teenager Has Some Serious Grown-Up Leadership Skills – top-ranked high school football recruit and future Ohio State Buckeye Tate Martell
• 15 Practices Of Highly Successful Financial Leaders – Billionaire Roger Penske
• 29 Leadership Lessons From The Shaquille O’Neal – Kobe Bryant Feud
• 20 Leadership Lessons The World’s Top Leaders Already Know – a collection of insights from many of today’s top leaders from the business and athletic communities

Thank you again for visiting this site.  It is an honor to invest in your leadership.

Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1869 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2015 Global Leadership Summit, That Church, REACT and Catalyst Conferences.  If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader.  Enjoy!!!